Trauma & Stress: Understanding PTSD
Trauma leaves more than memories — it can leave scars that affect your mind, body, and daily life. When trauma or extreme stress lingers long after the event, it is often referred to as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
PTSD develops when the body’s natural fight-or-flight response remains “stuck” in overdrive. After a traumatic experience, most people gradually recover. But for others, the nervous system doesn’t reset, and symptoms persist — sometimes for months, years, or even decades. At the Radiance Pain Institute, we recognize that PTSD is real, life-altering, and deserving of compassionate, advanced care.
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Common PTSD Symptoms
PTSD is more than just stress — it’s the nervous system working against you. Symptoms may include:
These symptoms can interfere with relationships, work, and overall quality of life — making it feel like trauma is still in control. But healing is possible.
What Causes PTSD?
PTSD can develop after many different traumatic experiences, including:
Research shows that in PTSD, the sympathetic nervous system (the body’s fight-or-flight center) becomes overactive. This overstimulation floods the brain with norepinephrine, over-activating the amygdala (the brain’s fear center) — leaving the body in a constant state of hyper-alertness and distress.
Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) for PTSD
At the Radiance Pain Institute, we offer an innovative treatment for PTSD called the Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB).
The stellate ganglion is a bundle of nerves at the base of the neck that helps regulate the body’s stress response. During the procedure, a skilled physician injects a local anesthetic into this nerve cluster using advanced imaging guidance. By “rebooting” the nervous system, the SGB calms the overactive fight-or-flight response, helping reduce symptoms such as:
Relief from SGB can last weeks, months, or longer, and the treatment is considered low-risk, minimally invasive, and safe when performed by experienced providers. For many patients, this procedure offers the first real sense of calm after years of living in survival mode.
