What is Stellate Ganglion Block?
The stellate ganglion block (SGB) is a procedure in which an injection of a long-acting local anesthetic, using ultrasound guidance, is made in the side of the neck around the main nerve that controls the “fight or flight” response (the sympathetic nervous system). This nerve, (the cervical sympathetic chain) which is a two-way conduit, connects the parts of the brain that control the fight or flight response (referred to as the central autonomic network) to the rest of the body. By blocking or “turning off” the traffic in the cervical sympathetic chain, it is believed that the parts of the brain that control the fight or flight response are allowed to completely reset, resulting in long-term relief of the associated anxiety symptoms. Multiple peer-reviewed medical studies show that SGB results in significant long-term improvement in chronic anxiety symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI). The SGB takes less than 15 minutes to perform, and benefits are seen in as little as 30 minutes.
Meet Dr. Sean Mulvaney
As an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Dr. Mulvaney is board-certified in Sports Medicine and Pain Medicine. He is the co-founder of The Stellate Institute. During his 31-year military career, Dr. Mulvaney served our nation’s Special Operations community as both a US Navy SEAL officer and a US Army physician.
In 2008, he became the first Department of Defense physician to be credentialed in regenerative medicine techniques such as platelet rich plasma and stem cell therapy for repair of musculoskeletal and spine injuries. Dr. Mulvaney is a internationally recognized leader in the use of SGB for PTSD. He was the first to use Stellate Ganglion Block to treat combat-related PTSI and has published in this field of research for over 10 years. He is internationally known as an educator of other physicians and has pioneered and extensively published on ultrasound-guided techniques.
As the Chief Science Officer and a staff physician with Regenerative Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Annapolis, Maryland, (home of The Stellate Institute) Dr. Mulvaney focuses on the repair of musculoskeletal, nerve and spine injuries using regenerative medicine techniques with ultrasound and fluoroscopic guidance.
