Neck Pain

Neck pain that affects your head movements requires expert diagnosis and treatment. If you suffer from persistent or disabling neck pain, contact James Ellner, MD, at Georgia Pain Management in Woodstock, Georgia. Dr. Ellner is an experienced interventional pain management specialist who uses cutting-edge treatments like epidural steroid injections and radiofrequency neurotomy to treat neck pain. Call Georgia Pain Management today for help with neck pain, or use the online booking form to request an appointment.

What’s causing my neck pain?

Acute neck pain might be due to a sudden injury — whiplash in an auto accident is one of the most common causes. Sports injuries can also cause acute neck pain.

If your neck pain develops more slowly, it could be an overuse injury caused by repetitive movements over a long period. Or you might have a degenerative condition caused by aging and general wear-and-tear.

Common causes of chronic neck pain include:

• Herniated cervical discs
• Radiculopathy (pinched nerves)
• Bone spurs
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Spondylosis
• Osteoporosis 
• Facet joint arthritis
• Spinal stenosis
• Degenerative disc disease

Poor posture and sleeping or working with your head bent at an unnatural angle can also cause neck pain. Resting, relaxing the muscles, massage, and anti-inflammatory medication should ease minor neck pain in a day or two. 

If your pain is more severe or persists despite self-care, contact Georgia Pain Management for a professional diagnosis.

How does my doctor find what is causing my neck pain?

To diagnose neck pain accurately, Dr. Ellner reviews your medical history, discusses your symptoms, and performs a physical exam. He may also order diagnostic tests, such as:

• X-rays
• Nerve conduction velocity (NCV) test
• Electromyography (EMG)
• Computed tomography (CT) scan
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Cervical medial branch nerve block

Nerve blocks are local anesthetic injections that help Dr. Ellner determine the source of your pain.

What treatments help with neck pain?

Treatment varies depending on the cause and severity of your neck pain. You might benefit from a personalized physical therapy program that includes stretching and strengthening exercises, passive treatments like therapeutic ultrasound, and other conservative approaches.

If these prove unsuccessful, Dr. Ellner might recommend epidural steroid injections into the area surrounding your spinal cord (epidural space). These injections contain long-acting anti-inflammatory drugs and often have a local anesthetic to numb your pain temporarily.

Many patients find that one or several steroid injections resolve their symptoms adequately. Georgia Pain Management offers several alternatives if these steroid injections don’t work for you. One is radiofrequency neurotomy; another is percutaneous cervical disc nucleoplasty.

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) uses electrical impulses to disrupt the nerve signals going from your neck to your brain. It requires an implant to control the impulses, which you perceive as tingling sensations, or, with newer HF10 SCS technology, simply an absence of pain.

Call Georgia Pain Management to learn more about effective, nonsurgical neck pain treatment, or arrange a diagnostic interview by completing the online booking form.