What causes neck pain?

With all of its moving parts and its responsibility of supporting the weight of your head, your neck is highly vulnerable to injury. Common neck injuries and conditions that can result in pain include:

• Muscle strains: from overuse or sudden movement
• Arthritis: degeneration of the joints in your neck leading to inflammation
• Nerve compression: herniated discs in the neck that irritate the nerves
• Injury: such as whiplash
• Spondylosis: a form of arthritis that affects the facet joints

The severity and type of your neck pain may vary, ranging from a dull ache to muscle spasms and tightness. Neck pain can also affect your mobility and cause headaches.

Neck injuries resulting from sudden force traumas, such as those that can occur in a car accident, are commonly referred to as whiplash. Whiplash is a term used to describe a specific type of neck injury that typically arises from the rapid back-and-forth motion of the head and neck. This motion is commonly associated with rear-end collisions, but it can also occur during sports injuries, physical assaults, or other situations where the head is subjected to sudden acceleration or deceleration forces.

When should I see a doctor about my neck pain?

Neck pain can resolve on its own without the need for specialized treatment, but if your neck pain is severe or prolonged, it may be time to schedule an appointment with the pain management specialists at Pain Medicine Group.

You should also get yourself checked out if the pain travels down your shoulders or arms, or if it causes numbness or tingling.

How is neck pain treated?

The experts at Pain Medicine Group use conservative measures to treat neck pain, including:

Physical therapy

Physical therapy helps relieve neck pain by improving the strength of the supporting muscles and your range of motion. Your doctor may recommend a series of physical therapy sessions depending on the severity of your symptoms.

TENS

A transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) unit uses low-voltage electricity to reduce neck pain. This pain management therapy is safe, effective, and noninvasive.

Traction

A traction device uses special pulleys to gently stretch your spine to alleviate neck pain caused by nerve irritation.

The team at Pain Medicine Group are interventional pain medicine experts and may also offer various injections, such as facet joint injections, epidural steroid injections, or medial branch blocks, depending on the source of your pain and your symptoms.

What can I do at home to alleviate neck pain?

In addition to the treatments offered at the office, the specialists at Pain Medicine Group also provide recommendations for neck pain management at home, including:

• Use of ice packs
• Over-the-counter pain relievers
• Proper neck positioning when on the phone or on the computer

The team may also recommend that you add magnesium supplements to your regimen. Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxer, which can help ease tension in the neck.

For management of your neck pain, call the pain experts at Pain Medicine Group for a consultation and treatment plan or book an appointment online.

What other medical issues do we treat?

At Pain Medicine Group, we treat a wide range of medical issues including:

• Arm Pain
• Arthritis pain
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Degenerative Disc
• Disc Herniation
• Fibromyalgia pain
• Foot pain
• Headache
• Hip pain
• Knee pain
• Leg pain
• Low back pain
• Migraines
• Neck pain
• Nerve pain
• Neuropathy
• Radiculopathy
• Sciatica pain
• Shoulder pain