Stellate Ganglion Block + Regenerative Care for Veterans’ Pain

You came home from deployment, but part of you never left.

The hypervigilance that kept you alive overseas now keeps you awake at night. Your shoulders stay locked at attention even when you’re “relaxing.” Your neck aches from constantly scanning for threats. The VA prescribed muscle relaxers and offered you opioids, but you’ve seen too many brothers go down that road.

Here’s what they don’t tell you: that constant state of alert isn’t just mental—it’s physically destroying your body. Years of tension, bracing, and fight-or-flight mode have created real tissue damage in your joints and spine. PTSD isn’t just in your head. It lives in your muscles, your fascia, your inflamed joints.

At Arizona Pain and Spine Institute, Dr. Asim Khan and Dr. Daniel Ryklin are pioneering a dual approach specifically for veterans and first responders: Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) to reset your stuck nervous system, combined with amniotic stem cell therapy to heal the physical damage from years of hypervigilance.

No opioids. No endless medications. Just targeted treatment that addresses both the neurological and physical wounds of service.

The Hidden Physical Cost of Service

Every veteran knows the mental weight of service. What’s less understood is how profoundly PTSD and chronic stress physically reshape your body.

Think about your last year of service. How many times did you wake up with clenched fists? How often did your shoulders creep up toward your ears during convoy ops? How many nights did you sleep (if you could call it sleep) with every muscle ready to spring into action?

Now multiply that by your years of service. Then add the years since you’ve been home, still stuck in that pattern.

This chronic muscle guarding creates a cascade of physical problems:

Reduced blood flow: Constantly contracted muscles strangle their own blood supply. Tissues starve for oxygen and nutrients, leading to those painful trigger points in your shoulders and neck that feel like rocks under your skin.

Joint deterioration: Years of protective posturing puts abnormal stress on joints. Your cervical spine, designed for fluid movement, becomes rigid. Facet joints inflame. Cartilage wears down prematurely. By 35, you have the spine of someone twenty years older.

Fascial adhesions: Your connective tissue literally glues itself together from chronic tension, creating widespread pain that doesn’t show up on X-rays or MRIs. Doctors shrug because they can’t see it, but you feel it every day.

Sympathetic overdrive: Your nervous system’s alarm won’t shut off. This perpetuates both psychological symptoms and physical pain in an endless loop. The pain keeps you on edge, being on edge creates more pain.

Dr. Khan, recognized for his expertise in treating combat veterans, explains: “Veterans often come to us after trying everything else. They’ve been told their pain is ‘just stress’ or handed another prescription. We treat both the stuck nervous system and the actual tissue damage. That’s what breaks the cycle.”

How SGB Resets Your Combat-Wired System

The Stellate Ganglion Block has been used for pain management since 1925, but its application for PTSD is revolutionizing veteran care.

The stellate ganglion is a collection of nerves at the base of your neck that controls your fight-or-flight response to your head, neck, arms, and upper chest. In veterans with PTSD, these nerves are essentially stuck in the “on” position, constantly firing danger signals even when you’re safe at home.

Here’s exactly what happens during the procedure:

You’ll lie down in the treatment room—no hospital gowns, no general anesthesia. A small IV provides mild sedation to help you relax, but you’re awake and aware. Dr. Khan or Dr. Ryklin uses ultrasound or X-ray guidance to locate the stellate ganglion precisely. A small amount of long-lasting local anesthetic is injected near the nerve bundle.

Total time: 10 minutes.

What happens next feels like a miracle to many veterans. Within hours, sometimes minutes, that constant state of red alert begins to fade. Your shoulders drop. Your jaw unclenches. For the first time in years, your body remembers what “safe” feels like.

One Marine described it: “It was like someone finally turned off the alarm that had been screaming since Fallujah.”

The effects typically last 3-6 months, sometimes longer. Many veterans need only one or two treatments to break the cycle permanently. Others get periodic boosters to maintain the calm.

Side effects are minimal: possible temporary drooping eyelid, hoarse voice, or stuffy nose that resolves within hours. Compare that to the side effects of a lifetime on psychiatric medications.

Adding Regenerative Medicine: Healing the Physical Damage

While SGB addresses the neurological component, years of muscle guarding have caused actual tissue damage. This is where amniotic stem cell therapy becomes crucial.

The same week you receive your SGB—often the same day—Dr. Ryklin can inject amniotic stem cells directly into damaged joints, inflamed tendons, or degenerating discs.

These aren’t embryonic stem cells. They’re ethically sourced from amniotic fluid collected during scheduled C-sections with full donor consent. No controversy, just healing potential.

The combination is synergistic:

Week 1: SGB calms your nervous system, allowing muscles to finally relax. Stem cells are injected into damaged areas while your body is in this receptive state.

Weeks 2-4: With muscles relaxed, blood flow improves dramatically. This enhanced circulation supercharges the stem cells’ effectiveness, delivering growth factors and anti-inflammatory compounds where they’re needed most.

Months 2-3: As your nervous system maintains its calmer state, the stem cells continue regenerating damaged tissue. Cartilage rebuilds. Tendons strengthen. Inflammation resolves.

Months 3-6: The physical improvements reinforce the psychological gains. Less pain means better sleep. Better sleep means improved mood. Improved mood means less tension. The destructive cycle becomes a healing cycle.

First Responders: The Other Front Line

It’s not just combat veterans who benefit. First responders face their own battles.

Firefighters develop chronic neck pain from years of wearing heavy gear while maintaining tactical awareness. The weight of the helmet and SCBA, combined with the constant vigilance required on scene, creates the same pattern of muscular dysfunction.

Police officers carry 20-30 pounds of gear on duty belts that torque their spines for 12-hour shifts. Add the stress of critical incidents, the hypervigilance required for officer safety, and years of physical altercations—the physical toll is enormous.

EMTs and paramedics spend years crouched in awkward positions in the back of ambulances, lifting patients, performing CPR. The physical demands combined with the psychological trauma of what they witness creates the same nervous system dysfunction and physical breakdown.

Dr. Ryklin notes: “First responders often don’t recognize their pain as trauma-related. They think it’s ‘just part of the job.’ But when your sympathetic nervous system is constantly activated, even minor injuries become chronic problems because your body can’t heal properly while in survival mode.”

Real Results: From Survival to Living

Let’s talk realistic outcomes based on actual veteran and first responder patients:

Immediate Effects (24-72 hours post-SGB)

• Anxiety decreases noticeably
• Sleep improves—many get their first full night’s sleep in years
• Muscle tension releases
• Pain levels drop 30-50%
• Hypervigilance diminishes

Short-term Results (2-4 weeks)

• If stem cells were administered, inflammation markers decrease
• Range of motion improves
• Physical therapy becomes more effective (because you can actually relax)
• Mood stabilizes
• Family notices you’re “different”—in a good way

Long-term Outcomes (3-6 months)

• 70-80% reduction in PTSD symptoms for most patients
• Significant improvement in joint and muscle pain
• Reduced or eliminated need for pain medications
• Return to activities (gym, sports, playing with kids)
• Improved relationships and quality of life

A Message from One Warrior to Another

“Twenty-two years in Special Operations. Four deployments. Came home with a Purple Heart and a body that felt like it belonged to an 80-year-old. The VA had me on eight different medications. My wife was ready to leave. My kids were afraid of me.

I was skeptical about SGB—sounded too good to be true. But Dr. Khan had treated other guys from my unit, and they swore by it. The injection took ten minutes. By that night, I slept without nightmares. By the end of the week, my neck pain—which I’d had for six years—was gone.

Two weeks later, they injected stem cells into my shoulders and lower back where years of rucking and breaching had taken their toll. Six months out, I’m medication-free. I coach my son’s football team. My wife says she got her husband back.

Brothers, you don’t have to live with this. You’ve earned the right to heal.”

— Mike S., Former Green Beret, Mesa

The Non-Opioid Promise

The statistics are sobering: Veterans are twice as likely as civilians to die from accidental opioid overdose. The VA’s own research shows veterans with PTSD receive more opioid prescriptions at higher doses—a deadly combination.

Arizona Pain and Spine Institute offers a different path:

• No addictive medications
• Address root causes, not just symptoms
• Combine neurological and physical healing
• Maintain your clarity and readiness
• Keep your security clearance (no controlled substances)

Since 2016, Dr. Khan and Dr. Ryklin have helped hundreds of veterans and first responders reclaim their lives without opioids. They understand that for warriors, maintaining mental sharpness and physical capability isn’t optional—it’s essential to who you are.

Taking Action: Your Mission to Heal

You’ve spent years taking care of others, protecting and serving. Now it’s time for your mission of self-care.

Here’s your operational plan:

Phase 1 – Reconnaissance (Week 1)

• Call Arizona Pain and Spine Institute: (480) 986-7246
• Tell them you’re a veteran or first responder interested in SGB with regenerative therapy
• Ask about their FastTrack program for expedited treatment

Phase 2 – Initial Assessment (Week 1-2)

• Comprehensive evaluation of both PTSD symptoms and physical pain
• Review of service history and current medications
• Imaging if needed (MRI, X-rays)
• Honest discussion about realistic outcomes

Phase 3 – Treatment Execution (Week 2-3)

• SGB procedure (10 minutes)
• Same-day or same-week stem cell injections if indicated
• Post-treatment monitoring
• Home with aftercare instructions

Phase 4 – Follow-Through (Months 1-6)

• Monitor improvements
• Physical therapy to maximize gains
• Possible booster treatments if needed
• Ongoing support from the clinical team

Why These Doctors Understand

Dr. Khan and Dr. Ryklin aren’t just pain management doctors. They’re fellowship-trained, board-certified physicians who’ve made it their mission to serve those who’ve served.

• Double board-certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Pain Management
• Fellowship-trained in interventional pain management
• Over a decade treating combat veterans and first responders
• Published research on innovative pain treatments
• Understanding of military and first responder culture

They know you’re not looking for sympathy. You’re looking for solutions.

You’ve Earned the Right to Heal

You’ve carried the weight long enough. The sleepless nights, the constant pain, the medications that fog your mind—none of that is “just part of it” anymore.

Modern medicine has finally caught up to what you need: targeted treatment that addresses both the psychological and physical wounds of service.

The combination of Stellate Ganglion Block and regenerative medicine isn’t just another treatment to try. It’s a comprehensive approach designed specifically for the unique needs of warriors.

Take action today. Call Arizona Pain and Spine Institute at (480) 986-7246. Tell them you’re a veteran or first responder. Ask about the SGB-regenerative medicine protocol.

Visit their SGB page or learn about regenerative options.

You answered the call to serve. Now answer the call to heal.

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If you’re in crisis, call the Veterans Crisis Line at 988, Press 1. Treatment information in this article is for educational purposes. Individual results vary. Consult with qualified healthcare providers about your specific situation.