Chicago Sphenopalatine Ganglion (SPG) Blocks

Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks frequently offer patients life changing results in reducing pain and anxiety.  Learn Self-Administration with Dr Shapira:  https://thinkbetterlife.com/tag/learn-to-self-administer-spg-blocks/

This procedure is extremely safe and can be performed in multiple ways.

I teach courses to physicians and dentists in methods to do SPG Blocks as well as Prolotherapy and Trigger Point injections but no treatment rivals the SPG Block when it works for a patient.

The Sphenopalatine Ganglion is the largest Parasympathetic Ganglion of the head and it also contains sympathetic fibers and somatosensory fibers.  It is part of the autonomic nervous system.  The block essentially turns off the Fight or Flight Reflex.

Relief can be almost immediate and very dramatic as it was with this Fibromyalgia patient:

The SPG Block can be done by intra-oral injection, or from extra-oral route either through the jaw muscles or from a Supra-zygomatic approach. It can be done with Fluoroscopy or without but it is rarely if ever necessary.

This video is a physician who just received the SPG Block and describes what he feels.  He is doing a study with veterans who have PTSD and is utilizing the Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks to alleviate the chronic overload of their sympathetic nervous system. He wanted to experience the block after I taught him the technique.  The second video is the block itself but it is being done by an extra-long spinal needle because he was saving his supply of needles for his PTSD patients.

It is also possible to utilize a transnasal approach to delivering anesthetic to the Sphenopalatine Ganglion by a Sphenocath device, an Allevio device or a TX360 device. When utilizing a device I prefer the Sphenocath due to ease of use. The TX360 was the one used for the MiRx Protocol.

 

This patient has nasal cotton tipped catheters in place for migraine:

My favorite method of transnasal SPG Block is with the cotton tipped catheter due to ease in teaching patients to self administer the Block. I have numerous patients who regularly self administer SPG Blocks and after initial visit the cost of supplies is about $1.00. Patients are now in control of their pain relief and can use the SPG Block as a prophylactic for migraines. Far less expensive and safer the Botox or other medications.

The Sphenocath is able to negotiate difficult nasal passages and I have taught patients to self administer SPG Blocks with the Sphenocath as well.

The Sphenocath device, an Allevio device or a TX360 device all require that the patient remain in a supine position (on their back) for 20-30 minutes. The cotton tipped catheters are continually releasing anesthetic by capillary action and the patient can stand, sit walk arond, work on a computer with no problem. They can also deliver medication for an extended time. The best part about SPG Blocks is that they can be self administered by the patient avoind unnecessary visits to doctor ‘s offices and emergency rooms.

SPG blocks gives patients with chronic pain control of their own lives.  This final video is a patient whose life was destroyed by pain but who regularly utilizes SPG Blocks at home.

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