Neck Pain

Neck pain can make reading, driving, using a phone, and other necessary daily activities into a frustrating ordeal. At Innovative Pain Medicine, elite pain management specialist Usman Saleem, MD, MSPT, takes state-of-the-art approaches to neck pain in adults. With physical therapy and medical skills honed over two decades, Dr. Saleem can custom-craft a path to long–term neck pain relief. The practice has four offices in Williston Park in Nassau County, Bellerose in Queens, Midwood in Brooklyn, and Port Jefferson Station, all in New York. Call the office in your area or click on the appointment feature for help today.

What are the noninvasive treatments for neck pain?

Neck pain treatment typically starts with medication and physical therapy. These two things work in tandem, with the medication reducing inflammation and pain and the physical therapy helping you grow stronger, which also helps ease pain. Physical therapy can also help you become more resistant to neck problems in the future. 

If your initial physical therapy and medication don’t solve your neck pain, or if you’re still having difficulty moving your neck, a minimally invasive pain management procedure, such as steroid injections, could be the right next step for you. 

What injections treat nerve problems in the neck? 

Cervical epidural steroid injections are usually recommended when neck-area nerves are compressed or pinched due to arthritis, disc herniation, or cervical spinal stenosis. 

A cervical epidural steroid injection contains a corticosteroid, which eases inflammation, and an anesthetic for numbing. This type of injection can relieve neck pain as well as radiating pain that travels to the shoulders and arms. 

Cervical sympathetic block is another injection for nerve pain. It’s often recommended for people with severe arm and hand pain due to complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) because it blocks the nerves that cause the pain. 

What injections treat neck pain from facet joints?

The cervical facet joints are on both sides of the vertebrae in your neck, connecting the vertebrae to allow you to bend and twist your neck. These tiny joints can grow irritated and inflamed, leading to pain and stiffness. 

A cervical facet joint injection, like epidural steroid injections, contains a corticosteroid and anesthetic. Cervical facet joint injections are helpful in two ways: they diagnose the facet joints as the cause of your neck pain and ease your pain. 

When should I consider radiofrequency ablation for neck pain?

Radiofrequency ablation heats and “turns off” nerve signaling in a specific pain-causing nerve in your cervical spine. If you have chronic neck pain and have experienced good results from a diagnostic nerve block injection, radiofrequency ablation might be a good choice for long-lasting neck pain relief.

Most patients with neck pain achieve excellent pain control and heal fully in time. To learn more about how Innovative Pain Medicine is helping patients return to life without neck pain, book your appointment online or call the office nearest you now.