Neck Pain
Daniel Nelson, MD
Interventional Pain Medicine & Regenerative Medicine located in Greater Seattle area, Kirkland, WA
Neck pain can stop you from sleeping, working, or even driving if it’s severe enough. It’s also one of the most common types of musculoskeletal pain, which could well require the expert services of Dr. Daniel Nelson. At his practice in Kirkland, in the Greater Seattle area of Washington, Daniel Nelson, MD, and Sarah Goble, PA-C, provide state-of-the-art treatments including radiofrequency ablation and image-guided steroid injections for neck pain. Call today to find out more or book an appointment online.
Neck Pain Q & A
What causes neck pain?
Neck pain can be due to an acute injury, like if you suffer whiplash in a car accident. Or it can develop slowly over time as the vertebrae or other structures in your spine start to deteriorate. In a small number of cases, neck pain can be a symptom of a disease like meningitis.
Some of the conditions that are most often responsible for causing neck pain include:
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- Herniated cervical discs
- Whiplash injuries
- Osteoarthritis
- Tension and stress
- Muscle strains
- Radiculopathy (pinched nerves)
- Bone spurs
- Osteoporosis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Cervical spinal stenosis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Cervical Radiculopathy
- Occipital Neuralgia (Arnold's Neuralgia)
Conditions like cervical spinal stenosis and herniated cervical discs often cause problems because they put pressure on the nerves in your spinal canal. It’s this pressure that can cause severe neck pain and other symptoms like tingling and numbness in the arms.
Neck pain can develop if you often make the same movement time and again over long periods. It could be something you have to do for your job, or it could be a pastime you take part in regularly, like playing sports. These kinds of repetitive strain or overuse injuries lead to tissue inflammation that can build up over time.
What processes diagnose neck pain?
In order to make an accurate diagnosis of the cause of your neck pain, Dr. Nelson needs to review your medical history and find out as much about your symptoms as possible. He also needs to perform a physical examination to see where the pain is likely to be coming from.
The next stage is for you to undergo diagnostic imaging tests. You might need an X-ray, a CT scan, or an MRI scan. You might also need to have diagnostic injections containing a contrast dye and a local anesthetic. These can help Dr. Nelson pinpoint the source of the pain if other methods aren’t showing the cause.
What does neck pain treatment entail?
Initial treatment of neck pain could involve conservative treatments like physical therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic. Most causes of neck pain respond well to these approaches.
If you’re still in pain after trying treatments like these, Dr. Nelson has extensive experience in state-of-the-art therapies that could help:
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- Cervical Epidural Steroid Injections
- Cervical Facet Radiofrequency Neurotomy
- Epidural Steroid Injection (ESI) in the cervical Spine
- Facet Joint injection (Cervical)
- Selective Nerve Root Block (SNRB) in the Cervical Spine
- Cervical Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection
- Spinal Cord Stimulator Implant
- Spinal Cord Stimulator Implant (Trial Procedure)
Dr. Nelson administers these treatments using fluoroscopy, which is an X-ray technology that creates a video of the structures inside your neck. Injections like the cervical facet joint injections contain an anesthetic and a steroid medication. The anesthetic produces short-term pain relief, while the steroid acts as an anti-inflammatory that eases pain long term.
To find out more about cutting-edge treatments for neck pain, call Dr. Daniel Nelson today or book an appointment online.