Neck Pain Specialist

What might be causing my neck pain?

Neck pain is often due to a sore muscle from sleeping awkwardly or bending over a keyboard for hours. This type of pain usually wears off when you move, but if you repeat these actions over the long term, you could develop chronic neck pain.

Houston Neurological Institute treats many conditions that cause neck pain, including:

• Osteoarthritis
• Herniated and bulging discs
• Degenerative disc disease
• Cervical spinal stenosis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Spinal tumors
• Whiplash injuries

Neck pain may not be the only symptom you experience with these conditions. Numbness, weakness, prickling, tingling, pins-and-needles sensations, or burning can all accompany neck pain.

These symptoms typically travel through your shoulders and down your arms, sometimes to your hands. They develop due to nerve compression in your neck – a condition known as cervical radiculopathy.

How is neck pain diagnosed?

Your provider at Houston Neurological Institute begins the diagnostic process with an assessment of your symptoms, a look at your medical history, and a physical examination.  

Based on what they find, your provider might request diagnostic imaging tests, for example, an X-ray, MRI, or CT scan. 

If you have symptoms of cervical radiculopathy, they also do an electromyogram (EMG) along with nerve conduction velocity (NCV) tests to evaluate the nerve function in your neck and arms.

What treatments might I need for neck pain?

At Houston Neurological Institute, the aim is to use the most conservative approaches unless it’s clear they’re unsuitable. These treatments usually involve physical therapies and medications.

Most patients find these methods effective, but if you don’t, Houston Neurological Institute can provide other, cutting-edge options. These include:

Steroid injections

Epidural steroid injections and facet joint injections contain an anesthetic and a steroid medication. The anesthetic offers exceptional pain relief but only lasts a short while. The steroid works long-term to reduce inflammation and pain.

Nerve blocks

Nerve blocks are also local anesthetic injections, often with a steroid, but they target the nerves at the root of your neck pain.

Radiofrequency ablation

Radiofrequency ablation is a non-surgical treatment that uses heat to damage the targeted nerve endings in your neck. The nerves may eventually regenerate, but you could experience a significant reduction in pain for a year or maybe longer.

Implantable devices

A spinal cord stimulator disrupts the nerve signals from your neck to your brain, preventing you from feeling pain. An intrathecal pain pump delivers prescription pain medication directly into your body. Both these devices use implants that go under your skin in a minimally invasive procedure.

To find out what’s causing your neck pain and benefit from exceptional treatment of your disorder, call Houston Neurological Institute today or book an appointment online.