Minimally Invasive Treatment Options for Your Neck Pain

Is neck pain making every day a struggle? Anything from poor posture to whiplash can trigger ongoing neck pain, and your symptoms can get worse over time. You need help from a professional who understands the different causes of neck pain and can treat your specific case appropriately. 

At The Spine and Sports Center in Houston and Sugarland, Texas, Dr. Benoy Benny and our team can help diagnose your neck pain and deliver the right treatment to relieve your discomfort and give you your life back. 

Causes of neck pain 

We’re seeing more and more people with neck pain since the practice of working from home became the norm. With home offices, you may not have the support for your spine you need, leading to sitting wrong, curling forward, and craning your neck to look at your monitor. 

You might also spend a lot of time on your phone, bending your neck sharply to stare downward at your mobile screen. These types of behaviors lead to ongoing muscle strain and pain often called tech neck or text neck. You can even end up with a hump at the top of your back, known as kyphosis.

Osteoarthritis in your cervical spine can cause pain, aching, and serious stiffness in your neck due to aging joints in the upper part of your spine. Cervical radiculopathy, or pinched nerves in the back of your neck, can cause intense pain centered at the top of your spine and shooting up toward the back of your skull.

Whiplash can happen in a traumatic event such as a car accident, but you might not feel it right away. However, the intensity with which your head snaps back and forth on your neck can cause intense pain later, due to muscle and tendon strain. 

Minimally invasive treatment options for neck pain

Dr. Benny works with you to accurately diagnose the source of your neck pain and find the right solution. Minimally invasive options, such as injections or radiofrequency treatment, are usually good options for patients with acute or chronic neck pain, and can help you avoid a surgical procedure.

Dr. Benny uses a diagnostic facet joint injection to help him determine the exact source of your pain. He injects an anesthetic directly into the area suspected to be the cause of your neck pain. If your pain ceases, he moves on to treatment with steroid injections or selective root nerve blocks to provide lasting relief. 

If your cervical spine has been severely injured and you’re in constant pain, Dr. Benny may use radiofrequency ablation (RFA). This treatment involves a fine needle inserted into the affected area, then electrical pulses are sent through the needle to deaden the nerves responsible for sending those pain signals. This is usually used only if other treatments haven’t been successful. 

Has neck pain become a pain in your neck? Schedule a consultation with the team at The Spine and Sports Center today by calling our location closest to you or booking an appointment online.