Cervical Injection Therapy
Neck pain can be due to the cervical intervertebral discs, the cervical facet joints, impingement of a cervical nerve root, or injury to the supporting muscles and ligaments in the neck. The crust of injection therapy is to utilize diagnostic blocks to pinpoint the cause of the pain.
Who is a candidate for cervical injections?
Any patient who is experiencing persistent neck pain despite an appropriate course of conservative therapy may be a candidate for injection therapy.
How was the cause of the pain diagnosed?
An MRI study will reveal what structural abnormalities exist, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Diagnostic injections can be used to “numb” selective structures thereby helping to isolate and diagnose where the pain is coming from.
What treatments exist for neck pain?
Here is a matchup of diagnoses with treatments:
- Cervical disc herniation – Cervical epidural steroid injection
- Cervical facet joint – Cervical facet block
- Cervical radiculopathy – Cervical nerve root injection
More advanced but still minimally invasive therapies include:
- Persistent facet joint pain which is temporarily relieved with facet blocks, the next step is radiofrequency ablation.
- Cervical disc herniation or cervical radiculopathy, after epidural injections, a percutaneous decompression is the most advanced non-surgical option.
- Persistent neck pain after a cervical fusion operation, cervical spinal cord stimulation may be an option for long-term benefit.
If you are having persistent neck pain, Dr. Koppel can help you alleviate it. To make an appointment, call Garden State Pain Management or use the online booking feature.
