Ganglion impar block

The 'Ganglion impar' is a cluster of nerve cells in front of the sacrum/coccyx (tail bone) joint. Over-activity of these nerve cells can cause chronic coccyx pain, pelvic pain, perineal pain (pain around the back passage), especially following Radiotherapy or bowel surgery.

Injecting these nerves with a local anesthetic can give immediate pain relief. When the anesthetic wears off, the pain usually returns at a lower level than before, presumably because the over-activity of the Ganglion impar has been reduced.

Repeating the injections can eliminate or at least very substantially reduce the pain in many patients. Often the degree of relief from these injections is so substantial that patients previously considering surgical treatment (e.g. for coccyx pain) no longer feel the need to pursue such options.



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