Treating neck pain and restoring function and normal activity starts with diagnosing the underlying cause. The orthopedic spine surgeons at Norton Leatherman Spine have extensive experience treating neck pain and its underlying conditions. These may include:
- Arthritis
- Muscle strain
- Fracture
- Tumor
- Deformity
- Spinal cord compression
- Other causes
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 that move your spine
- Pain in the trapezius muscles, or the muscles that extend over the back of the neck and shoulders and move the head and shoulder blades
- A sharp pain between the shoulder blades and down the arm
- Headaches that start in the back and at the base of the skull
Neck Pain Treated with Nonsurgical and Surgical Expertise
The orthopedic spine surgeons at Norton Leatherman Spine have surgical and nonsurgical expertise in all neck disorders that may cause pain. We treat adults and children in Louisville, Southern Indiana and beyond.
Treatment for neck pain begins with physical therapy to strengthen and condition the muscles and improve range of motion. Patients may also 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: Technique in which needle is inserted into areas of the muscle to relieve pain and restore movement.
- Electrostimulation: Uses an electrical charge to treat muscle pain and spasms
- Acupuncture: Technique that pricks the skin with needles to 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
When surgery is needed to restore a patient’s desired function and relieve pain, the orthopedic spine surgeons at Norton Leatherman Spine have expertise in minimally invasive and motion-preservation procedures:
- Minimally invasive posterior fusions: Procedure that fuses two neck bones together. The minimally invasive technique creates a small incision, only 3 to 4 millimeters.
- Cervical disc arthroplasty: Procedure that involves replacing a damaged or degenerated disc with an artificial disc.
- Cervical disc laminoplasty: Procedure to remove pressure from the spinal cord in the neck.
- Robotic and computer-assisted techniques: Using technology can help reduce pain and shorten recovery time.
