Could a nerve block help with PTSD symptoms?
​​​​​​​Trial in US soldiers shows short-term benefit
Using a nerve block on the stellate ganglion in the neck can improve symptoms of PTSD for up to six weeks post-injection, a trial shows.
The US military ran the multisite, blinded trial in 113 soldiers with clinical (80%) or subclinical PTSD.
Eight weeks after baseline, the 74 solders receiving two doses of the nerve block showed a reduction of 12.6 points in the Clinician-Administered PTSD Score for DSM-5 (CAPS-5).
In comparison, the 39 soldiers allocated to sham saline injections improved by just 6.1 points, the authors reported in JAMA Psychiatry.
