Whether it’s been years since the traumatic events or they are still fresh wounds, you could have PTSD and all the negative effects of it.
Whether you have single-incident PTSD or C-PTSD (complex or childhood PTSD), you face significant challenges. The abusive incidents in your past are etched into your brain and nervous system. Abuse, neglect, violent events, and even car accidents can all cause PTSD. Even poverty can lead to PTSD as trauma builds up over time.
It is not a weakness. You are not alone. Your struggles are not just all in your head: PTSD also has a physiological, bodily component, which can be your path out of it.
Dr. Jason Attaman can help. He helps PTSD sufferers of all kinds with a treatment known as stellate ganglion block. He has performed SGB procedures since 2007 for various conditions including PTSD. With an office in Bellevue WA, he helps people throughout Greater Seattle and the Puget Sound area, though many patients travel from afar for help. You can contact Dr. Attaman’s office to book a consultation, or read on to find out more about SGB treatment.
What are PTSD symptoms?
PTSD symptoms can include:
- Avoidance of stressful situations.
- Avoidance of discussing stressful events in the past.
- Difficulty with friendships or romantic relationships.
- Irritability out-of-control anger.
- Depression, anxiety, guilt, or a sense of worthlessness.
- A sense of helplessness.
- Chronic pain and fatigue.
Many of those symptoms are caused or exacerbated by an overly active fight-or-flight response. By blocking the nerves involved with that response we can help you feel calmer and more in control.
What do you do to treat PTSD?
We use stellate ganglion block therapy (SGB). It is simple shot delivered in our office. It targets the stellate ganglion nerves in your neck, which play a crucial role in your flight or fight response. By temporarily anesthetizing these nerves we can calm down the overactive fight-or-flight responses, hyper-vigilance, and anxiety that can make daily life so difficult.
One patient of ours described the procedure as going from spending his “entire life in rush-hour traffic while late to a life-or-death meeting”” to driving down a country road with no particular place to be.” Everyone is different, of course, and we cannot yet comment on your situation or on how SGB could work for you, but our experience has been that patients find that the physiological “pause” can make all the difference
How does therapy fit into PTSD treatment?
You may have spent countless hours with a therapist. That time wasn’t a waste, because psychotherapy and SGB therapy can be complementary. SGB gives you the physiological “opening” or break you need to get into a state of mind where you and a therapist can work out issues long-term. But it’s almost impossible for psychotherapy alone to get you past PTSD, when your nervous system is still overstimulated and overactive.
It’s time to get your life back.
SGB therapy can work for six months to a year, and you may take multiple shots if you require them. You may feel immediate improvement, opening the door to long-term improvement. SBGB is fast, affordable, and safe. If you’re ready to live life differently, don’t wait. Call Dr. Attaman’s office in Bellevue today to discuss SGB and book your appointment.
Our office is in Bellevue, WA, but we have helped PTSD sufferers from all over the US and Canada (with many Canadian patients coming from British Columbia). I may be able to help you, too. The clinic is easily accessible from British Columbia and Alberta and we offer a telemedicine consultation to verify that you are a good candidate for these injections. Patients can stay overnight in Bellevue, Washington, and have the treatment completed over 2 days.
We offer a substantial discount to US Military veterans, active-duty personnel, and law enforcement. (Many of our patients come from nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord.)
What is a Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB)?
The stellate ganglion is a bundle of nerves that is located deep in the lower neck. It is located within the cervical sympathetic chain. Sympathetic nerves play a strong role in our fight-or-flight response. When you have anxiety, these nerves malfunction and are constantly sending distress signals to your brain and body. Injecting local anesthetic (numbing medicine) around these nerves is called a stellate ganglion block (SGB). SGB resets these nerves that are chronically in fight-or-flight response. This is similar to rebooting your computer; after the “SGB reboot,” your nerves function normally. Stellate ganglion block (SGB) injections need to be performed under either ultrasound and/or fluoroscopic guidance as there are major blood vessels and organs nearby. The SGB injection is not new and has been used for 100 years to treat painful conditions such as chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS) of the upper extremity. More recently, SGB is being used to treat anxiety.
The Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) Procedure for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The only physicians that are formally trained in the SGB procedure are Interventional Pain Management physicians (MDs and DOs). We learn how to safely perform SGB during a year-long advanced training program called a Pain Medicine fellowship. A fellowship is the highest level of training a physician can complete and is done after four years of medical school, one year of internship, and three years of residency. Even then, the SGB technique used for anxiety treatment is more complex than when used for painful conditions and in many cases requires even more refinement after fellowship. Stellate ganglion block is a technically demanding procedure that requires precise image guidance using an ultrasound machine and sometimes a form of x-ray called a fluoroscope. We always prefer to use ultrasound as it allows us to better visualize nerves, arteries and veins in this delicate area.
About the Author: Phil Rozek
