Neck Pain

Chronic neck pain, like lower back pain, is most commonly caused by degenerative disc disease and arthritis. Injuries such as whiplash after car accidents can also lead to chronic pain if left untreated. Neck pain is occasionally associated with pain, tingling, or numbness down the arms due to a disc herniation or a pinched nerve.

Factors such as lack of sleep, being overweight, smoking, depression, high levels of anxiety, lack of exercise, dehydration, certain types of food, and certain medications can cause symptoms of headache and neck pain to worsen. The goals of treatment at Desert Pain Institute start with first identifying the cause of pain and any potentially serious or life-threatening conditions. Lifestyle modification and counseling are used to address the factors above. Physical therapy, medications and minimally invasive procedures are then instituted based on each patient’s condition to most effectively address the symptoms with the goals of reducing pain and improving daily function, mood, and quality of life.

Neck pain and headache conditions we treat at Desert Pain Institute:

• Cervical degenerative disc disease
• Cervical spinal stenosis
• Cervical disc herniation
• Cervical spinal arthritis
• Whiplash injury
• Myofascial pain
• Cervical dystonia
• Migraine headache
• Tension headache
• Cluster headache
• Occipital neuralgia
• Trigeminal neuralgia
• Atypical facial pain
• Shingles
• Post-herpetic neuralgia

Procedures used to treat neck pain at Desert Pain Institute:

• Epidural steroid injections
• Intraarticular facet injections
• Atlantoaxial and atlantooccipital joint injections
• Trigger point injections
• Medial branch radiofrequency neurotomy
• Occipital nerve blocks
• Trigeminal nerve blocks
• Stellate ganglion blocks
• Botulinum (Botox) injections