Lumbar Sympathetic Injections
 

Hi all,

I am newly diagnosed with RSD and the pain Dr want me to use the Lumbar Sympathetic injections. Has anyone done this?? Has it worked for anyone. I have tendon issues they are tearing all over the place, and it has been my history that when I get these types of shots I get more tears. The pain Dr blew that off and said this will cure the RSD. That's one thing that I never read anywhere. I heard it has helped some people but not everyone. Please let me know what you have been through. Thanks so much.

hi MewsG

Welcome! I am sorry you had to come find us but it is a soft landing place that is great for sharing and support.

I have never encountered any literature that said LSB or SGB was a cure for CRPS. I have read kind of an insane amount of stuff. There have been retrospective studies done and the efficacy rate is not as great as once thought. Blocks of this kind have fallen to lower tier recommendation because of risk and the uncertain response rate. That is not to say that they don't work for some people. Many here have gotten a response that made a difference for them. Others have said they worked a day or two then nothing. Some get no response at all. I would trawl around Pubmed and Google for CRPS and sympathetic blocks and see what comes back. I am on Vacay and using my iPad which is less than ideal for posting links or I'd send you something.

There is a lot of hope for improvement. So ignore the doomsday info and focus on what some of the CRPS bigwigs say which is that 80% of people improve with time. Easy, gentle exercise, keeping the limb moving, reducing swelling, not pushing too hard and causing flare, stress reduction...all these help recovery. Hit the antioxidants. Try something like neurontin or nortriptyline. You can even consider an oral sympathetic blocker. A short course of steroids is useful in the acute stages and even sometimes later. Ketamine infusions are becoming more frequently recommended at early stages and can alter the course of the disease. I am doing a low dose protocol and getting good results. There are many, many options for treatment if you decide that nerve blocks are not for you. Or if you try a couple and don't see the results you'd like. Keep at it, hold on to your recovery like a bulldog. It takes time and persistence and often a lot of trial and error.

I hope you find what works for you soon. Come when you have questions, to share info or just to say hi.

Sending healing love, :hug:

hi mew. i'm sorry you have rsd. i have never had a lsb but i've had sympathetic nerve blocks in my neck for rsd that started in my wrist. they helped a little but not much. but everyone is different. if i were you i would get a second opinion maybe from another pm dr or neurologist. as for anything curing rsd, i have never heard of that either. as far as i know there is no cure yet for rsd but there is always a chance for remission. hopefully that will happen for you. sending soft hugs your way.

Mewsq,

Has anyone suggested you take organic gelatin to help you repair your tendons?

Our bodies cannot heal without the best building blocks which includes a good organic gelatin. If you use Dr.Google you will find that gelatin will help a CRPSer heal from the inside out. It has so many benefits I cannot believe we are not prescribed it when we are first diagnosed.

http://www.westonaprice.org/health-t...-is-beautiful/
http://sweetbeetandgreenbean.net/201...of-bone-broth/

Littlepaw has given you an excellent road map to help you on your journey. Please research low dose naltrexone too.

mewsg, sorry for your recent diagnosis.

I have been getting 2 injections in my sacroiliac every 3-4 months for 5 years. I have RSD in both my feet, ankles, & lower legs. Without those I might have lost my sanity before now. But it definitely is not a cure. I still use a cane, (and a wheelchair for long walks/shopping), I don't wear shoes or socks just sandals & moccasins in winter when necessary but I use Lidoderm patches to ease the pain, I'm limited in the amt of walking I can do daily, I soak in Epsom salts every day at least once, I take 3 mg muscle relaxers daily, 5-7 nights in a week I'm awakened in a flare (voltaren gel helps), cannot be in direct sunlight, etc, etc, etc ....those injections allow me to have a life but as you can see they are not a cure.
The important thing is that the dr's aim is good. Fluoroscope guided. In 5 years I've had only 3 bad reactions, but I still got relief even with bad side effect that wear off in a couple of weeks. At the time of my last injections in May I rated my pain @ 15-20. It was consuming me. But my neurologist had been out of the country.
I had received the depo medrol injection before RSD for bursitis, tendinitis and such so I knew they brought relief but it isn't instant, relief comes on slowly for me. Now they do put Lidocaine in so there is some immediate relief but it seems to wane quickly for me.
I might add, I'm an old woman that might make a difference.