As more patients are getting and recovering from COVID, we are learning more and more about the symptoms. It is of increasing interest to follow symptoms that linger for weeks and months without knowing a lot about the long-term effects of the virus. Republic Pain Specialists are especially interested in helping patients who are struggling with residual pain and long-lasting issues that our clinic can specifically treat.

COVID Symptoms

There are a number of possible symptoms that come with COVID, and those symptoms could linger for quite some time after a patient recovers. Many have reported having feelings of brain fogginess and having a difficult time remembering things, loss of smell and taste, headaches, fatigue, chest and joint pain, and other flu like symptoms. The University of Michigan has reported that globally, close to 40% of people who have had COVID-19 have long term side effects.

Treatment Options

While any patient we work with will have our full attention to tell us about their pain, any causes they may know about for their pain, and time to discuss the magnitude of that pain so we can plan the best treatment for them, with COVID-19 issues, we are relying heavily on a block we have a lot of experience with already. The Stellate Ganglion Block has been used in medical procedures for relieving pain for almost a century, and our team has increasing experience administering it and teaching this method to others. A few months ago, Republic Pain Specialists began to offer this block after other medical clinics reported success using it in patients who had symptoms for several months. David Gaskin says this specific injection “blocks that sympathetic flow and allows the body to reset and start what it normally should do, which is autoregulation in a normal pattern.”

Not Just Pain Relief

One of the most appealing parts of providing this treatment for patients is the fact that the block is proving effective for multiple symptoms, not just for pain related issues. Since the block hinders nerve transmission in the face, head, chest, and arms and is also commonly used for general pain syndromes, some patients have reported seeing relief with their loss of senses, the forgetfulness or fogginess that has lingered, and headaches. What’s more, some overall pain can be relieved for COVID issues and possibly other pain you may be having.

Republic Pain Specialists are here to treat all of your pain, COVID related, injury related, or from some unknown cause. We will work to understand the cause of your pain and work with you to make a treatment plan that is effective, opioid free, and one you can follow. To learn more, contact us today.