A minimally invasive, nonopioid procedure
Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block in Timbergrove: A Targeted Nerve Block for Migraine and Facial Pain
A minimally invasive, nonopioid procedure for chronic head and face pain, guided by Dr. Ho, a board-certified anesthesiologist. Timbergrove patients can reach us daily, open 5 am to 9 pm.
Why Timbergrove Patients Keep Searching for Relief
You know the routine. The migraine that wipes out an entire afternoon. The facial pain that flares when the wind shifts or you take a bite of something cold. The pressure behind one eye that no over-the-counter pill touches. According to the American Migraine Foundation, interventional options like nerve blocks are a promising supplement to standard headache therapy, and you have tried the preventives, the triptans, maybe a nerve pain prescription, and the pain still finds a way back into your week.
Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block, or SPG block, targets a nerve cluster behind the nose that drives a surprising amount of head and face pain. Timbergrove residents, part of the City of Houston’s Lazybrook Timbergrove Super Neighborhood, often discover it after standard headache care has plateaued. At Catalyst Health and Wellness, Dr. Ho performs the procedure with medical screening and after-care monitoring. Considered for head and face pain, it remains an off-label option, run alongside your neurologist or headache specialist, not replacing them. Every patient responds on their own timeline.
What Is a Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block?
The sphenopalatine ganglion is a compact nerve cluster resting behind your nasal cavity, inside a space called the pterygopalatine fossa. It ranks as the largest grouping of nerve cells found in the head outside the brain, sitting at an intersection of sensory and autonomic fibers connected to head and facial pain.
An SPG block delivers a local anesthetic directly onto that ganglion to quiet the traffic moving through it. The typical route is transnasal. Dr. Ho threads a slender, flexible catheter through the nostril and places the anesthetic at the rear of the nasal passage, exactly where the ganglion sits. No needle touches the face in this approach, and the entire procedure wraps up in a handful of minutes.
Clinicians have aimed treatment at this ganglion for well over a century, tracing back to Dr. Sluder’s original description in 1908. It stands as a long-established anesthetic nerve block. Applied to headache and facial pain, it counts as an off-label option, meaning it carries no FDA approval for these particular conditions. Dr. Ho walks you through what that distinction means for your case at your visit.
What the research points to:
What Our Patients Say
How a Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block Works
Think of the sphenopalatine ganglion as a wiring hub for sensation and autonomic signals across your face, sinuses, and forehead. In many headache and facial pain patterns, that hub stays stuck in overdrive, driving both the pain itself and the congestion, watery eyes, or facial pressure that so often tags along during a bad flare-up.
Quieting an Overworked Nerve Hub
By coating the ganglion in local anesthetic, an SPG block briefly halts the signals traveling through it. For certain patients, calming that hub can help unwind a pain cycle that has turned self-perpetuating. Because the medication sits directly at the ganglion, the effect stays focused on the pathways tied to head and face pain instead of spreading throughout the body.
Interrupting the Pain and Reflex Loop
The sphenopalatine ganglion carries parasympathetic fibers, which explains why so many headaches arrive with a runny nose, watery eye, or facial pressure on one side. Interrupting that cycle may calm both pieces together for some patients. Responses differ from person to person, and the block is built to work beside your current care and strengthen whatever comes next.
Head and Face Pain Timbergrove Patients Bring Us
We evaluate sphenopalatine ganglion block for Timbergrove patients whose head or facial pain has not eased with frontline care. Whether it suits you rests on your diagnosis, your history, and what you hope to achieve.
Chronic or Refractory Migraine
When migraines keep breaking through preventive and acute medications.
Cluster Headache
The condition with the strongest research support for SPG block.
Trigeminal Neuralgia and Facial Nerve Pain
Sharp, shocking facial pain that's hard to control.
Persistent Facial Pain
Ongoing facial pain without a clear structural cause.
Post-Traumatic Headache
Headache lingering after a head injury, an area still being studied.
Other Head and Face Pain
Where your physician believes a nerve block may be worth exploring.
If migraine or chronic pain has already brought you to our other pages, Dr. Ho can walk through how a nerve block might sit alongside that plan. SPG block can also pair with stellate ganglion block for patients carrying both head pain and trauma-related symptoms.
Your Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block Path at Catalyst
We shaped every stage to feel clear, calm, and centered on you. Here is what happens along the way.
Step 1: Free Phone Consultation
Your journey starts with a no cost, confidential phone call. It isn’t a sales pitch, just a real conversation about whether an SPG block makes sense for you. You’ll:
- Ask any questions about the procedure
- Share your headache or facial pain history and current symptoms
- Learn what a transnasal SPG block involves
- Get honest guidance on whether it fits your situation
There’s no charge and no obligation to continue.
Step 2: Medical Evaluation
If you decide to move forward, you’ll complete a medical evaluation so we can confirm the block is appropriate for you. This includes:
- Review of your diagnosis, medical history, and current medications
- A look at which headache or facial pain treatments you’ve already tried
- Any imaging or records your referring physician has shared
- A clear explanation of what to expect during and after the procedure
Step 3: Day of Procedure
Preparation is simple:
- No special fasting for most patients
- Wear comfortable clothing
- Arrange transportation if we advise it for your situation
- Plan for an easy rest of your day
Step 4: The Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block Procedure
The block itself takes just a few minutes, and you stay awake and alert the whole time.
- You recline comfortably while Dr. Ho positions a slim, soft catheter in the nostril
- He delivers the local anesthetic to the back of the nasal cavity, at the ganglion
- Most people find any discomfort mild
- You may notice a bitter taste, mild numbness at the back of the throat, or a little nasal drip
Those sensations are expected and pass on their own.
Step 5: Recovery and Observation
After the block, you’ll rest while we monitor you.
- We observe you for a short period afterward
- You take it easy for the remainder of the day
- Most people return to normal activity soon after
Step 6: Assessing Response and Follow-Up
Responses to SPG block vary widely from person to person. Some notice a change within the same day, others need a short series of visits.
- We’ll track how you respond
- Repeat blocks may be recommended based on your results
- Together we’ll decide whether and when to continue
Since everyone’s different, we personalize follow up around your individual response.
The Evidence Behind Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block
Interest in targeting the sphenopalatine ganglion for headache and facial pain stretches back more than a century, and the techniques applied to it keep advancing. According to the MedlinePlus headache resource maintained by the National Library of Medicine, headache disorders remain among the most common reasons patients seek medical care, spanning migraine, cluster headache, and tension-type patterns. Cluster headache and trigeminal neuralgia carry some of the strongest support for nerve-targeted approaches like SPG block, while migraine research continues to build.
A clinical overview hosted by ScienceDirect describes the sphenopalatine ganglion as a key structure tied to sensory and autonomic pathways across the face and sinuses, noting its long history in both diagnostic and pain-focused procedures across headache and facial pain conditions.
What the current evidence points toward:
- The strongest track record sits with cluster headache
- Encouraging findings exist for migraine and trigeminal neuralgia
- The approach stays minimally invasive, nonopioid, and repeatable
- Broader randomized trials are still needed across most applications
- Patient selection and careful monitoring shape how well it performs
That is a fair snapshot of where this research stands, established for decades, encouraging, and still under active study. Your consultation is partly where Dr. Ho weighs that evidence against your specific pain pattern.
Why Timbergrove Chooses Catalyst for SPG Block
01
Led by Dr. Ho, Anesthesiology Expertise
As a board-certified anesthesiologist, Dr. Ho brings deep training in nerve blocks and the exacting technique these procedures demand. Your care comes from a physician who performs these blocks routinely and knows how to keep you calm and safe from start to finish.
02
Precise Transnasal Technique
The standard SPG approach delivers anesthetic through the nostril rather than a needle into the face. Dr. Ho’s patient, methodical technique focuses on accurate placement and keeping you at ease during a short, fully awake procedure.
03
A Whole Person Approach
We look past symptoms alone. Starting with your first phone call, we work to understand your complete picture, and we welcome the chance to coordinate with your neurologist, headache specialist, or primary physician so your care stays joined up.
04
Extended Hours and Flexible Scheduling
Head pain never checks the clock, so neither do we. All three Houston locations stay open 5 am to 9 pm, seven days a week, giving Timbergrove patients a time that actually fits their life.
05
Comprehensive Treatment Options
An SPG block can be one piece of a larger plan. Depending on your situation, we also offer:
Stellate Ganglion Block
a companion nerve block for trauma and anxiety symptoms
IV and IM Ketamine
options some patients pursue for chronic pain
TMS Therapy
an FDA cleared device for certain conditions We'll help you understand which options, if any, fit alongside your existing care.
06
A Comfortable, Screened Environment
Every corner of our space is built around your comfort. Our staff moves at your pace, screens thoroughly before any procedure, and never pushes you toward a decision.
Getting Started in Timbergrove
You have carried head or facial pain long enough to be finished with partial fixes. A sphenopalatine ganglion block is one more focused path worth understanding, and figuring out if it fits you takes only a quick call.
Reach us at (713) 772-5315 for a free, no-obligation phone visit. We will answer your questions, review your history and symptoms, and give you a straight read on whether SPG block makes sense. No pressure, no cost, and everything stays private. Dr. Ho and every clinician here treat you like a person first.
Between three Houston locations and hours running 5 am to 9 pm daily, getting care on your schedule stays simple. Dr. Ho and the team stand ready for every stage of your path.
Monday-Sunday, 5am-9pm
Free consultation
Rapid relief
Three Houston locations
Expert anesthesiology care
Commonly Asked Questions
Get Help NowDoes a sphenopalatine ganglion block hurt?
Most people find it easy to tolerate. Because the common approach goes through the nostril instead of a needle into the face, any discomfort is usually mild. You might feel the catheter and notice a bitter taste as the anesthetic settles in.
How is an SPG block different from a stellate ganglion block?
They target different nerves for different problems. Stellate ganglion block goes to a bundle of nerves in the neck and is used for trauma and anxiety symptoms. Sphenopalatine ganglion block sits behind the nose and is used for head and face pain. Dr. Ho performs both.
How long does relief last?
It varies quite a bit from person to person, and some people need more than one visit. There’s no set timeline we can promise. We’ll track how you respond and plan any follow up around your results.
How many treatments will I need?
That depends on your condition and how you respond. Some people are managed with occasional single blocks, while others do better with a short series. Dr. Ho will recommend an approach based on your results.
Is the sphenopalatine ganglion block FDA approved for headaches?
The block is an established anesthetic procedure. Used for headache and facial pain, it’s an off label option and isn’t FDA approved for those specific conditions. We’ll always be straight with you about that.
Can I drive myself home?
For many patients the transnasal block doesn’t require sedation, but we’ll tell you at your evaluation whether to arrange a ride based on your specific plan. When in doubt, bring someone along.
Can an SPG block be combined with my current headache treatment?
Yes. It’s meant to work alongside the care you already have, not replace it. We’re glad to coordinate with your neurologist or headache specialist so everyone’s on the same page.
Will insurance cover a sphenopalatine ganglion block?
Coverage varies by plan and diagnosis. We can help check your benefits and go over payment options during your consultation.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
A Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block in Spring is an established anesthetic nerve block. Used for head and face pain such as migraine, cluster headache, and facial nerve pain, it is offered as an off label option and carries no FDA approval for these specific conditions. Every procedure at Catalyst Health & Wellness includes in office medical screening and ongoing monitoring under Dr. Ho, a board certified anesthesiologist. Outcomes vary by patient, and no specific result is guaranteed.
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