Study finds dual nerve blocks procedure may help people with treatment-resistant anxiety

A clinical trial by doctors at a private medical college hospital in Chickballapur near Bengaluru has found that a dual stellate ganglion block (SGB) procedure may help reduce anxiety symptoms in patients who do not respond to standard treatment.

The study, published in the July-August 2026 issue of Pain Physician, an open-access journal, involved 63 patients with moderate to severe treatment-resistant anxiety. The researchers found that those who underwent the procedure had a significantly greater reduction in anxiety symptoms than those who received a sham procedure.

Led by G. Niraj, senior consultant, anaesthesiology, and a multidisciplinary team of Pain Medicine physicians, psychiatrists, and clinical psychologists at the Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SMSIMSR) in Chickballapur, the trial is claimed by the researchers to be the world’s first randomised controlled trial evaluating dual SGB specifically for treatment-resistant anxiety.