Neck Pain Q & A

What is neck pain?

Neck pain is something many people experience, most often when they have a stiff neck after a long day at work. Hunching over a keyboard or clutching a phone to your ear are common ways of giving yourself a sore neck, and with age, your chances of experiencing neck pain increase.

Your neck is the top part of your spine, consisting of the cervical vertebrae that link your skull to your upper body. Between each vertebra is a shock-absorbent disc that, along with ligaments and muscles, enable you to move your neck freely.

Any of the soft tissues, discs, or vertebrae could suffer acute damage or be subject to wear and tear over the years resulting in neck pain.

Most cases of neck pain are simple muscle strains that you can treat at home with rest, gentle stretching, and using hot and cold compresses.

If you have neck pain that’s severe or isn’t improving after a few days of home care, you should call Optimal Pain & Regenerative Medicine®.

What causes neck pain?

Neck pain can come from muscle tension, chronically poor posture, or sleeping in an awkward position, as well as accidents like trips and falls. Neck pain can also be due to:

  • Whiplash
  • Sports injuries
  • Osteoporosis
  • Cervical spinal stenosis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Arthritis
  • Cervical bulging or herniated disc

Neck pain can occasionally be due to meningitis, an inflammation of the tissues around the brain and spinal cord.

How is neck pain treated?

Initial treatments the team at Optimal Pain & Regenerative Medicine® uses for neck pain are conservative, usually involving a combination of rest, physical therapy, and medication to reduce inflammation and pain.

The team also has significant expertise in using regenerative medicine therapies such as stem cells and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to boost the growth of new, healthy tissues in the neck.

If your neck pain doesn’t improve with conservative treatments, the next stage is minimally invasive therapeutic injections such as:

  • Selective nerve root injections
  • Facet/medial branch injections
  • Sympathetic nerve blocks

These injections of steroids and local anesthetic target specific nerves or nerve clusters that cause your neck pain. The injections numb the pain and reduce inflammation, and, in some cases, can provide relief for several months.

If your neck pain is due to a herniated disc, the team at Optimal Pain & Regenerative Medicine® can carry out a procedure called DISC nucleoplasty. This minimally invasive surgery removes the herniated tissue to relieve pressure on the nerves in your neck.

If you have a bulging cervical disc, then biacuplasty can relieve your neck pain by deactivating the affected nerves.

Neck pain has many causes, but the team at Optimal Pain & Regenerative Medicine® has many solutions, so call them today or book an appointment online.