A 2024 comprehensive review found SGB efficacy for PTSD symptoms ranges from 70–83% of treated patients achieving clinically significant positive outcomes across the full range of existing studies
Stellate Ganglion Block in Westchase, Houston TX: Rapid Relief for PTSD, Anxiety, and Trauma
More than 1,500 businesses share 4.3 square miles between Westheimer and the Westpark Tollway — Bechtel, Halliburton, Chevron, Phillips 66, and hundreds of smaller firms in one of Houston’s most concentrated commercial districts. The 30,000 people who live here reflect a genuine cross-section of Houston’s international diversity: a community where 33% are non-Hispanic Black, 26% Hispanic, 13% Asian, and where the workforce includes engineers, project managers, first responders, service workers, and veterans who all share the same neighborhood trails and the same biological reality when trauma, PTSD, or chronic anxiety takes hold. Stellate ganglion block addresses that reality directly — a minimally invasive procedure that targets the overactivated sympathetic nerve cluster at its anatomical source, regardless of the cultural background, occupational history, or diagnostic label of the person receiving it. Dr. Ho, board-certified anesthesiologist and former pediatrician, performs this ultrasound-guided procedure at Catalyst Health & Wellness for Westchase residents and patients from Alief, Briargrove, Sharpstown, the International District, and west Houston. Three Houston locations, open 5am–9pm, seven days a week.
The Evidence Now Has a NaaWestchase Treatment Backed by Authoritytional Health Authority Behind It
Westchase operates at the intersection of multiple global industries — petroleum engineering, construction management, energy services — and the people who work here tend to want rigorous validation before making significant decisions. When it comes to SGB for PTSD and anxiety, that rigor now extends to national health technology assessment.
Canada’s Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) — the federal government’s independent body that evaluates clinical evidence to inform healthcare coverage decisions across Canadian provinces — published a systematic review specifically examining the evidence for stellate ganglion block for the treatment of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The CADTH review confirmed that standard PTSD treatment success rates are “generally variable, with remission rates that range from 30% to 40%” and that “alternative therapies such as stellate ganglion block are being evaluated” specifically because of this gap. CADTH reviews are among the most rigorous independent evidence syntheses in international medicine — produced by a government agency with no commercial interest in the outcome. Their systematic examination of SGB’s evidence base, positioned explicitly as an alternative to conventional treatment when those treatments are inadequate, places SGB in a category of treatments that national health authorities consider clinically serious.
For Westchase’s analytically minded international workforce — accustomed to demanding multi-source validation before accepting a clinical or commercial decision — that institutional recognition matters. And for the 70–83% of treated patients who achieve clinically significant positive outcomes, it reflects a treatment that was worth evaluating seriously.
What is Stellate Ganglion Block?
The stellate ganglion — the sympathetic nerve cluster formed by the fusion of the inferior cervical and first thoracic ganglia at the base of the neck — connects the brain’s central autonomic control network to the sympathetic nerve supply of the head, neck, upper body, and cardiovascular system. As the CADTH review explains: “since the stellate ganglion is connected to the amygdala — a brain region postulated to be abnormally activated in PTSD — SGB has been evaluated as a treatment modality for PTSD.”
Research consistently shows powerful results:
What Our Patients Say
How Stellate Ganglion Block Works
Understanding SGB's mechanism helps explain why a procedure that interrupts nerve conduction in the neck can produce lasting improvements in psychological and physiological symptoms.
Resetting the Sympathetic Nervous System
The CADTH systematic review is precise about the anatomical basis: "SGB is an outpatient procedure involving clinicians injecting a local anesthetic to the stellate ganglion, which inhibits nerve impulses to the head, neck, and upper extremities." That inhibition temporarily interrupts the sympathetic nerve conduction sustaining the elevated norepinephrine and amygdala hyperresponsiveness of PTSD. The mechanism is not chemical adjustment of neurotransmitter levels — it's a procedural interruption of the neural circuit maintaining the overactivated state.
By temporarily blocking the stellate ganglion's nerve conduction, the local anesthetic allows nerve growth factor to normalize, norepinephrine to drop, and the amygdala's threat-detection calibration to shift toward a pre-trauma baseline. CADTH's review specifically highlights "persistent hyperarousal — abnormally heightened state of anxiety and alertness" as "one of the treatment-interfering factors" that prevents engagement in trauma processing and contributes to medication intolerance — the exact mechanism that SGB is positioned to address. By reducing the hyperarousal that makes other treatments difficult to engage with, SGB creates a therapeutic window that can make subsequent care more effective.
Reducing Brain Inflammation and Hyperactivity
Beyond the immediate sympathetic reset, SGB produces downstream changes in the amygdala's function. CADTH's review notes that "the stellate ganglion is connected to the amygdala — a brain region postulated to be abnormally activated in PTSD" — making the anatomical connection between the stellate ganglion and PTSD's primary neurological driver explicit. By reducing the sympathetic outflow that maintains amygdala hyperactivation, SGB allows the amygdala to recalibrate — reducing the hyperresponsiveness that produces intrusive memories, emotional reactivity, and the constant readiness that defines untreated PTSD's daily experience.
For Westchase's diverse workforce — people who've absorbed trauma across widely varying cultural contexts, occupational exposures, and life histories — this amygdala recalibration is the consistent outcome that makes SGB's effectiveness translate across demographic differences. The biology doesn't vary by background.
Conditions We Treat with Stellate Ganglion Block in Westchase
SGB addresses sympathetic nervous system dysregulation across a range of conditions. At Catalyst Health & Wellness, we offer SGB for:
PTSD
Rapid relief from hyperarousal, hypervigilance, and trauma symptoms
Read MoreAnxiety Disorders
Reducing the physical manifestations of severe anxiety
Read MorePanic Disorder
Calming the fight-or-flight response that drives panic attacks
Read MoreCombat-Related Trauma
Extensively studied in military populations with strong results
Read MoreComplex Trauma
Addressing symptoms from prolonged or repeated traumatic experiences
Read MoreTrauma with Physical Symptoms
Especially effective when anxiety manifests physically
Read MoreSGB integrates powerfully with Catalyst's other treatments. Many Westchase patients find that SGB's hyperarousal reduction — the CADTH review identifies this as the key barrier to other treatment engagement — makes ketamine therapy, Spravato, or trauma-focused therapy significantly more effective.
Your Stellate Ganglion Block Journey at Catalyst Health & Wellness
Every step is designed for efficiency, clinical precision, and genuine accessibility for Westchase's busy, diverse workforce.
Step 1: Free Phone Consultation
No cost, no commitment. A clinical team member discusses your full history — symptoms, prior treatment attempts, current circumstances. You receive an honest clinical assessment of whether SGB is appropriate, including if it isn’t.
Step 2: Medical Evaluation
Budget two to three hours. Arrange transportation — post-procedure driving isn’t advisable. Comfortable clothing with accessible collar area. Normal eating unless instructed otherwise.
Step 3: Day of Procedure
Budget two to three hours at the clinic. Arrange transportation — post-procedure driving isn’t advisable. Comfortable clothing with accessible collar area. Normal eating unless instructed otherwise.
Step 4: The SGB Procedure
Dr. Ho uses real-time ultrasound imaging to visualize the stellate ganglion and surrounding anatomy before needle placement. Skin is numbed first. The anesthetic is delivered under continuous imaging guidance. The injection takes approximately 15–20 minutes. Warmth, slight hoarseness, or a sense of physical release confirm the block is working.
Step 5: Recovery & Observation
One to two hours of monitored recovery follows. Temporary Horner syndrome effects — drooping eyelid, hoarseness, warmth on the treated side — indicate successful stellate ganglion interruption and resolve within hours. Our team remains present throughout.
Step 6: Assessing Response & Follow-Up
Changes typically emerge within hours to days. Our team follows up to track response and determine next steps: a second procedure two weeks later, maintenance scheduling, or complementary treatment options at Catalyst.
The Science Behind Stellate Ganglion Block
A systematic review published in Chronic Stress examined 17 published studies on SGB for psychiatric disorders, finding preliminary evidence supporting feasibility for treating sympathetic nervous system dysregulation conditions. Improvements were observed within 5 minutes and lasted one month or longer.
The 2020 randomized controlled trial in JAMA Psychiatry enrolled 113 active-duty service members across three military hospitals. Two SGBs two weeks apart produced a mean PTSD symptom reduction of −12.6 points versus −6.1 for sham — establishing Level 1B clinical evidence for SGB.
The CADTH systematic review published in NCBI Bookshelf evaluated the clinical evidence for SGB for PTSD, depression, and anxiety — produced by Canada’s federal health technology assessment agency with no commercial stake in the outcome. The review identifies the 30–40% remission gap in standard PTSD treatments as the clinical basis for evaluating SGB, notes the stellate ganglion’s connection to the amygdala as the anatomical mechanism, and confirms “persistent hyperarousal” as the “treatment-interfering factor” that SGB is specifically positioned to address. For Westchase’s internationally diverse population accustomed to multi-source evidence evaluation, this government health authority synthesis provides the independent validation that positions SGB as a serious, evidence-backed clinical option.
Key research findings:
- Canada’s CADTH confirms the 30–40% remission rate of standard PTSD treatments as the clinical gap that SGB is evaluated to address — and identifies the stellate ganglion’s amygdala connection as the anatomical mechanism
- The 2020 JAMA Psychiatry RCT established Level 1B evidence — the highest clinical standard yet achieved for SGB in PTSD
- SGB’s reduction of “persistent hyperarousal” addresses the treatment-interfering factor that prevents engagement with conventional therapies — making SGB a potential gateway to more effective overall treatment
- 70–83% of treated patients achieve clinically significant positive outcomes; effects appear within minutes to hours and last one month or longer
Why Choose Catalyst Health & Wellness for Stellate Ganglion Block in Westchase
01
Led by Dr. Ho – Anesthesiology Expertise
CADTH's clinical description of SGB specifies injection of local anesthetic "to the stellate ganglion, which inhibits nerve impulses to the head, neck, and upper extremities" — a procedure requiring nerve block anatomy knowledge, ultrasound guidance, and the clinical judgment to manage anesthetic delivery in a complex cervical anatomical region. Those are core anesthesiology training requirements. Dr. Ho's board certification covers them foundationally. His former career as a pediatrician ensures clinical precision is paired with attentiveness to patient experience. Westchase's international workforce, accustomed to evaluating specialist credentials across global standards, will find that combination appropriate.
02
Ultrasound-Guided Precision
Every SGB at Catalyst uses real-time ultrasound imaging — direct visualization of the stellate ganglion and surrounding anatomy before needle placement. This is the procedural standard that the most rigorous published studies use, and the only approach Dr. Ho applies.
03
Whole-Person Approach
Westchase’s demographic diversity means trauma arrives in contexts that don’t always match the profile studied in military RCTs. Our team engages with your full clinical picture — your specific trauma history, cultural context, prior treatment attempts, and what you’re hoping to change — rather than applying a single-population protocol. Treatment plans are built around that complete assessment and coordinated with existing care providers.
04
Extended Hours & Flexible Scheduling
The petroleum, construction, and energy service industries in Westchase run around the clock. Shift workers, project managers on international timelines, and first responders on rotating schedules don’t have predictable weekday clinical windows. Our 5am to 9pm hours, Monday through Sunday at all three Houston locations, accommodate every schedule. The Southwest clinic at 7710 Beechnut is the closest Catalyst location to Westchase.
05
Comprehensive Treatment Options
SGB works best as part of a comprehensive approach to trauma recovery. We offer additional treatments that can complement your care:
IV Ketamine Therapy
Rapid relief for PTSD, depression, and anxiety
IM Ketamine Therapy
Intramuscular ketamine for those who prefer this method
Spravato Treatment
FDA-approved nasal esketamine for treatment-resistant depression
TMS Therapy
Non-invasive brain stimulation for depression and OCD
Many patients find that combining SGB with ketamine therapy produces the most comprehensive relief from trauma symptoms.
06
Safe, Comfortable Environment
We understand that people with trauma need to feel safe. Every detail of our treatment environment has been designed with your comfort in mind. Our staff is trained in trauma-informed care, and we move at your pace throughout the entire process. You’ll never be rushed or pressured.
Getting Started with Stellate Ganglion Block in Westchase
Westchase has positioned itself at the intersection of global energy, commerce, and community — a district defined by connectivity and forward momentum. If PTSD, anxiety, or trauma-related dysregulation has been the one domain where conventional treatment hasn’t produced the result you needed, SGB offers a biologically direct, evidence-supported intervention now recognized by national health authorities as a serious alternative when standard care is insufficient.
Call (713) 772-5315 for your free consultation. We’ll discuss your history, answer every question specifically, and give you a clear clinical picture of whether SGB makes sense for your situation. No charge, no pressure, complete confidentiality.
Our Southwest clinic at 7710 Beechnut is the closest to Westchase, accessible via Westheimer. All three Catalyst locations open 5am to 9pm, every day.
Monday-Sunday, 5am-9pm
Free consultation
Rapid relief
Three Houston locations
Expert anesthesiology care
Commonly Asked Questions
Get Help NowHow quickly does stellate ganglion block work?
Many patients notice improvement within days of the procedure, and some experience relief within minutes. Research shows that effects can appear within 5 minutes and last a month or longer. This rapid onset is one of SGB’s most remarkable features, especially for people who’ve been suffering with trauma symptoms for years.
Is stellate ganglion block safe?
Yes, SGB has been performed safely since the 1920s for various conditions. The procedure has a well-established safety profile with decades of clinical use. Common temporary effects include drooping eyelid, hoarse voice, and warmth on the treated side—all of which resolve within hours. Dr. Ho’s expertise as an anesthesiologist and use of ultrasound guidance ensures the highest safety standards.
Does the procedure hurt?
Most patients experience minimal discomfort. You’ll feel a small pinch from the initial numbing injection, followed by pressure as the medication is administered. The procedure itself takes only minutes, and most patients tolerate it very well. Dr. Ho’s gentle technique and experience help ensure your comfort.
How many SGB treatments will I need?
Many patients experience significant improvement after one or two treatments. Research protocols typically involve two SGBs administered two weeks apart. Some patients benefit from additional treatments over time. We’ll assess your response and recommend a treatment schedule based on your individual results.
How long do the effects last?
Effects typically last one month or longer, with some patients experiencing sustained improvement for many months. A 2025 study found that 96% of patients maintained significant improvement at 6-month follow-up. If symptoms return, the procedure can be repeated.
Can I combine SGB with other treatments?
Yes, many patients find that SGB works best as part of a comprehensive treatment approach. Combining SGB with ketamine therapy, for example, can provide both rapid sympathetic nervous system reset and enhanced neuroplasticity for processing trauma. SGB may also make traditional trauma therapy more tolerable and effective.
Do I need to talk about my trauma during treatment?
No. Unlike trauma-focused therapies that require detailed discussion of traumatic events, SGB works on the biological mechanisms underlying PTSD symptoms. You can share as much or as little as you’re comfortable with. The procedure addresses the physical hyperarousal component of trauma without requiring you to revisit painful memories.
Will insurance cover stellate ganglion block for PTSD?
Coverage varies by insurance plan. SGB for PTSD may be covered by some insurers, particularly when documented as treatment for a recognized condition with failed conventional treatments. We can help verify your benefits and discuss payment options during your consultation.
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