Your neck doesn’t have the same level of protection as the rest of your spine, so it’s easily susceptible to injury. If you have neck pain, Navin Mallavaram, MD, and his team at The Spine & Pain Center of California can help. They provide expert injectable neck pain treatments that relieve your discomfort and promote healthy tissue growth to treat neck pain. Call their offices in Pleasanton and Fremont, California, today, or use the online form to schedule a consultation.
Most often, neck pain is a symptom of damage to the soft tissues or the cervical (neck) vertebrae. This could be due to an acute injury or the effects of wear-and-tear. Muscle strains and injuries to ligaments and tendons are typical examples of acute injuries.
Whiplash is probably the most commonly known neck injury. It happens when you stop suddenly, like in a car when you have an auto accident. The violent back-and-forth motion of your head stretches or tears the tissues in your neck. This causes acute pain that can turn into a chronic condition unless you receive expert treatment.
Other conditions that cause neck pain include:
Chronic neck pain is also a common sign of stress. The muscles in your neck tighten to such a degree with long-term stress that they become knotted and painful. This type of neck pain can spread, causing headaches and shoulder pain.
When you see Dr. Mallavaram, he reviews your medical history and discusses your symptoms. He does a physical exam, during which he might ask you to do specific actions. This helps him look for signs of conditions that are likely to be causing your neck pain.
Depending on what Dr. Mallavaram finds, you could be sent for X-rays, a CT (computed tomography) scan, or an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). If it looks like there could be a problem with your nerves, Dr. Mallavaram will want to do a nerve conduction study, including an electromyogram (EMG).
When the test results are ready, Dr. Mallavaram will discuss the findings with you. He can then design a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs.
Dr. Mallavaram specializes in using treatments like:
These injections contain anesthetic and a steroid medication for both immediate and longer-term pain relief.
Dr. Mallavaram also offers injections. Treatments like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) boost your body’s healing abilities using natural substances, often harvested from your own body.
If your neck pain isn’t improving, you might need to look at radiofrequency facet ablation or a spinal cord stimulator trial. Dr. Mallavaram will explain the details of these procedures to you and help you make a choice as to which is best for you.
Find out more by calling The Spine & Pain Center of California today or booking an appointment online.
