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Neck pain is one of the more common musculoskeletal complaints among Americans, with a prevalence of over 20%. Fortunately, most common sources of neck pain can be treated with appropriate care without surgery. At Desert Pain Specialists, Roland Reinhart, MD, and Meaghan Berglund, PA-C, offer comprehensive treatment to get rid of your neck pain. To learn more about neck pain management, call the office or request an appointment online today.
Neck Pain Q & A
What constitutes the neck?
While the answer to this question may seem obvious, it’s helpful to understand the underlying structures to give you an idea of the many ways neck pain can crop up. At the heart of your neck is your cervical spine, which is made up of seven small vertebrae that link your head to your body.
Helping out with this connection are muscles, tendons, ligaments, and discs that play no small role in the function of your neck.
What are the most common causes of neck pain?
Your neck is a complex area that contains a number of different components, all of which can be compromised, leading to neck pain. To give you an idea of the many conditions that lead to neck pain, here’s a list of the most common culprits:
- Whiplash
- Cervical herniated disc
- Degenerative disc disease
- Chronic muscle strain or sprain
- Arthritis (rheumatoid and osteoarthritis)
- Cervical stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
- Compression fractures
- Acute fractures or trauma
In less common cases, neck pain can be brought about by cancer or meningitis.
How is neck pain diagnosed and treated?
Because of the wide range of possible causes of neck pain, your Desert Pain Specialists provider first sits down with you to review your symptoms and your medical history. From there, if indicated, they may order advanced imaging, such as X-rays, CT scans, or MRI, to get a better look at what’s going on inside your neck.
If you’ve been struggling with chronic neck pain, and advanced imaging isn’t providing the answers you need, your provider may turn to a discography to determine whether your disc is the source of your pain.
Once your Desert Pain Specialists provider has a diagnosis, they tailor a treatment plan to your unique situation, with pain relief as their primary goal. To accomplish this, they may turn to:
- Anti-inflammatory and/or pain medications
- Bracing
- Physical Therapy
- Epidural injections
- Nerve blocks
- Botox injections
- Trigger point injections
- Facet joint injections
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Spinal Cord Stimulation
- Surgery
To find relief, the team at Desert Pain Specialists offers the most advanced and effective treatments to remedy acute or chronic neck pain. If you’re suffering from neck pain, call Desert Pain Specialists or request an appointment online today.