Neck Pain Treatments
What are Common Causes of Neck Pain?
Chronic neck pain often results from excessive amounts of stress, degenerative bone conditions, or injuries to the neck. Dr. Verma can help you alleviate any degree of chronic neck pain through effective pain management methods.
Overwork, stress, or an injury that causes inflammation or damages certain structures can cause neck strain. If not treated, the pain can become prolonged and worsen. Dr. Verma believes in strengthening, stretching, and stabilizing the neck through physical therapy or chiropractic care. If that is not enough, there are several options to help control the pain.
Stress can play a significant role in the severity of chronic back and neck pain. When the muscles remain tense for long periods of time, they can become fatigued and sore. If stress is a common problem, it can eventually result in damage to both the tissues and the nerves in the area.
Additionally, normal wear and tear can occur leading to degenerative disc disease. Dr. Verma can help you to find ways to release the tension in the muscles through exercise, physical therapy, and various procedures such as trigger point injections and nerve blocks.
Are Neck Injuries & Migraines Associated?
Neck injuries and migraines are often related to one another. Migraines are severe headaches that do not respond well to treatment. Bright lights, loud noises, or other intense stimuli often cause migraines by triggering a reaction within the brain that constricts the brain’s blood vessels. Reduced blood flow to the brain can play a significant role in the intensity of a migraine.
A severe neck injury that results in a decreased flow of blood to the brain can cause a migraine. Dr. Verma understands the structure of the neck and how it affects blood flow to and from the head. By correcting the neck injury, he can restore proper blood flow to the brain.
Treatment Options for Neck Pain
Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection
A cervical epidural steroid injection is a dose of an anti-inflammatory medication – like a corticosteroid – to reduce pain in the spinal cord around your neck. This pain may radiate and cause tingling or numbness in your arm, shoulder, or neck. These injections are used when conditions like herniated discs or spinal stenosis compress nerves and cause pain and inflammation.
Cervical Facet Injection
Facet joint pain in the neck area is typically caused by degenerative changes due to wear and tear. The injection involves a small amount of a local anesthetic and corticosteroid into the joint, which is the root cause of neck pain and cervicogenic headaches. The medication helps reduce inflammation and pain and provides up to 4 months of pain relief. For some, a series of 3 injections can offer a lifetime of reduced pain.
Cervical Medial Branch Block
Cervical medial branch blocks are diagnostic tests used to discover the root cause of pain in the joints in the cervical spine, called cervical facet joints. A medical branch is a bundle of nerves that carry pain signals from the spine to the brain. The branch block injection uses chemicals to temporarily block those signals from transmitting. The injection is placed in the facet joint and can help confirm where the pain originates.
Cervical Radiofrequency Ablation
This minimally-invasive procedure uses heat from radio waves to treat damaged nerves or tissues in the joints surrounding the neck area. The procedure is sometimes referred to as radiofrequency rhizotomy and is used to treat pain that does not decrease with medication or more conventional therapies.