There can be many causes of neck pain, and not all require medical attention. Rest and being mindful of your posture while at the desk, looking down at a mobile device or talking on a telephone often can help.

If numbness, weakness in your arms or hands, or shooting pains down your arm accompany your neck pain, it’s time to talk to your health care provider. There could be pressure on the nerve roots or the cervical portion of your spinal cord if you experience tingling and weakness.

Neck pain can affect every aspect of life, from driving, sleeping and maintaining employment to mental health. Patients may experience the following symptoms:

• Pain localized to the sides of the neck and the back muscles
• Pain in the muscles that extend over the back of the neck and shoulders
• A sharp pain between the shoulder blades and down the arm
• Headaches that start in the back and at the base of the skull

Treating neck pain and restoring normal activity starts with diagnosing the underlying cause. The combined team of orthopedic spine and neuroscience specialists at Norton Leatherman spine has extensive experience treating neck pain and its underlying conditions.

Common causes of neck pain include:

• Arthritis
• Deformity
• Fracture
• Muscle strain
• Spinal cord compression
• Tumor

Neck Pain Relief

The combined team of orthopedic spine and neuroscience specialists at Norton Leatherman spine has surgical and nonsurgical expertise in all neck disorders that may cause pain. We treat adults and children in Louisville, Southern Indiana and beyond.

If your neck pain isn’t getting worse or causing significant difficulties, your physician likely will monitor your condition at regular intervals.

Treatment for neck pain begins with physical therapy to strengthen and condition the muscles and improve range of motion. Patients also may receive anti-inflammatory or pain medication to help with faster relief of symptoms.

Other nonsurgical neck pain treatments may provide additional relief. These include:

• Dry needling: A needle inserted into areas of the muscle to relieve pain and restore movement
• Electrostimulation: Uses an electrical charge to treat muscle pain and spasms
• Acupuncture: Pricking the skin with needles can reduce pain
• Injections: Therapeutic injections to reduce pain and swelling, and diagnostic injections to identify and isolate a patient’s pain generator
• Radiofrequency ablations: Procedure in which an electrical current produced by a radio wave heats a small area of nerve tissue, reducing pain signals

Your physician may recommend surgical treatment of severe neck pain that causes weakness, or if it worsens.

When surgery is needed, the combined team of orthopedic spine and neuroscience specialists at Norton Leatherman spine has expertise in minimally invasive and motion-preservation procedures:

• Minimally invasive posterior fusions: This procedure fuses two neck bones together. The minimally invasive technique creates a small incision of less than a quarter inch.
• Cervical disc arthroplasty: This procedure replaces a damaged or degenerated disc with an artificial disc.
• Cervical disc laminoplasty: This procedure can remove pressure from the spinal cord in the neck.

Robotic- and computer-assisted techniques allow for greater precision and can help reduce pain and shorten your recovery.

About Norton Leatherman Spine

Norton Leatherman Spine is a combined team of orthopedic spine surgeons, neurosurgeons from Norton Neuroscience Institute and pain management specialists who provide care for adults and children from Louisville and Southern Indiana, as well as from across the region, nation and world.

• The multidisciplinary team incorporates expertise from a variety of specialties to offer a comprehensive array of treatment options that include minimally invasive and nonsurgical therapies.
• Our team approach to the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of spine conditions works cooperatively with primary care physicians and other specialists to develop a treatment plan as unique as each individual.
• Because you may not need surgery, you may work with our pain management team, physical therapy specialists and others who can create a care plan with the right types of treatments for you.
• If you need surgery, you’re in experienced hands. Norton Leatherman Spine physicians perform more than 4,000 surgeries a year.
• Our team has more than 45 specialists at nearly 20 offices across Louisville and Southern Indiana. Many offer same-day appointments and Saturday hours, with no referral needed
• Our specialists are internationally recognized leaders in clinical research of spinal disease, injury and deformity, and have served in senior positions in the Scoliosis Research Society, the most prestigious organization for scoliosis surgeons around the world.
• Norton Healthcare is the first health system in the nation to be recognized as an Advanced Orthopedic & Spine Center of Excellence by DNV.
• We offer minimally invasive and robotic-assisted procedures that carry less risk and can speed your recovery.
• We use the EOS Imaging system, which collects high-resolution images while exposing the patient to 50% to 85% less radiation than traditional X-rays and 95% less than basic CT scans. The system is especially beneficial to scoliosis patients who often need repeated imaging to monitor their progress.
• Use MyNortonChart to communicate with your provider, manage appointments, refill prescriptions and more, anytime from a mobile device or computer