3 Alternative Non-Surgical Treatments for Head & Neck Pain

5 Alternative Non-Surgical Treatments for Head & Neck Pain

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Head and neck pain can occur for a variety of reasons. Some pain will go away with time, or through a change in lifestyle or behavior. But if you’re dealing with head and neck pain that lasts more than a few days and doesn’t improve with over-the-counter pain medicine, it’s time to make an appointment with one of our pain management specialists for diagnosis and treatment.    

Depending on the cause of your head and neck pain, these five non-surgical treatments might be effective for you. 

1. Physical Therapy

From muscle tenderness, tension and tightness to poor posture – certain types of headaches and neck pain can be relieved through physical therapy treatments. A trained physical therapist can design an exercise plan that strengthens your neck muscles and takes pressure off your spine. They might also apply heat or cold pads during a therapy session to either increase blood flow and range of motion (heat) or decrease blood flow and inflammation (cold). Still other physical therapy treatments could include therapeutic massage, chiropractic treatment and/or neck-strengthening exercises you can do at home.

2. Trigger Point Injections

Trigger points are areas in muscle that are very irritable, and, when pressed, produce a twitch within the affected muscle. A trigger point may produce not only pain in the affected muscle, but in a distant area, including locations in the head and neck, called referred pain. Trigger points may develop because of trauma, injury, inflammation, or other factors. A trigger point injection is a procedure where a medication, usually a local anesthetic, is injected into the painful muscle to provide relief. The pain relief should be experienced not only in the affected muscle, but in the area of referred pain as well.

3. Anti-Inflammatory Steroid Injections

If your pain is being cause by inflammation around the nerves in your neck, a cervical epidural steroid injection can help by “coating” the nerves in the area. Patients experiencing a herniated disc, a degenerated disc, osteoarthritis or inflammation that reduces the space around the nerves can benefit from this type of treatment. The goal of the injection is to reduce inflammation and associated nerve pain – and the injection itself is given with the patient laying face down under local anesthetic.

4. Botox injections

Think BOTOX® is just for wrinkles? Think again. It can be effective for the treatment of adults with cervical dystonia—a condition that causes the muscles in your neck to tighten or spasm without your control. BOTOX injections can reduce the severity of abnormal head position and neck pain. If you have chronic migraines (≥ 15 days per month) with headache lasting 4 hours a day or longer, this treatment could also be right for you.

 5. Radiofrequency Ablation (Rhizotomy)

Yes, it sounds complicated. But in reality, Radiofrequency Ablation (or RFA) is a non-surgical, outpatient therapy procedure that’s used to help patients with chronic head and neck pain related to spinal arthritis.  As with any non-surgical treatment, this procedure is only recommended after thorough examination and diagnosis. During the RFA procedure, heat is delivered to targeted nerve tissues, preventing pain signals from reaching the brain.

If you or a loved one are experiencing chronic head or neck pain, don’t wait. Learn more about our pain management program and all the options available to you at Orthopedic Institute.

Should You See a Physical Therapist?

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So you know you’ve injured yourself. You’ve got the pain or the swelling to prove it. But with so many varieties of physicians, specialists and therapists from which to choose, how are you to know when is the right time to involve a physical therapist?

Take a look at some of the following common pain points and whether they necessitate a visit to a physical therapist.

Lingering Pain

Immediately after an injury, it’s often best to do what your body is demanding of you: rest. Take a few days off from normal activities, apply ice, and give the injury some time to heal. However, if its been three or four days, and returning to normal activity is still causing you to wince, it may be time to visit a physical therapist. They can figure out the source of the pain and prescribe a plan of action.

Low Mobility

Whatever the reason for it, sometimes your body’s mobility is limited. It can be caused by injury, disease or even simply aging. When it comes to reinvigorating your lost mobility and range of motion, often the best person to see is a physical therapist, as this type of health professional is trained to evaluate and treat matters of movement and flexibility.

Poor Posture

Is your posture suffering? When it comes to sitting for great lengths of the day, you might notice your shoulders hunching over and giving you back pain related to the way you sit up (or don’t). If you’re looking to improve this, a physical therapist may be your first step. He or she can work with your body mechanics to determine the best ways to build up your balance and sitting habits.

Recurring Injuries

When you’re out on the field or at work exerting yourself, you’re bound to encounter a pull, sprain or strain now and again. However, if you’re finding yourself experiencing the same pain over and over again, it may be time to call in the professionals. The best plan when you’re experiencing a moderate to severe level of pain due to a recurring injury is to see a physical therapist. He or she can work with you to determine exactly how you continue to injure yourself, as well as how to avoid pain in the future.

Know your needs

The most important thing to remember is that, if you have pain, address it. Even if you’re unsure to whom you should speak, make sure you’re seen in a timely manner to avoid worsening injury. We’re here to help.

4 Key Benefits of Going to an Orthopedic Walk-In Clinic

4 Key Benefits of Going to an Orthopedic Walk-In Clinic

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Whether it’s scheduling, varying degrees of urgency or fear of price tags, dealing with orthopedic emergencies or non-emergencies can be tricky. Thankfully, orthopedic walk-in clinics provide an option for those acute injuries and pain and they don’t require an appointment.

Here are four key benefits of an orthopedic walk-in clinic, a feature that Orthopedic Institute (OI) happens to offer.

Avoid Unnecessary ER Visits

Not every injury is alike. That’s why some minor, non-emergency injuries that require treatment but may not be urgent enough to foot the bill for an emergency room visit can be dealt with thanks to orthopedic walk-in clinics. Say you experienced a knee sprain or fracture during an evening sporting event—you may be more inclined to take this condition to an orthopedic walk-in clinic than to a potentially pricey emergency wing of a hospital.

Be Seen After Hours

Speaking of time of day, one of the biggest benefits of orthopedic walk-in clinics for daytime workers is the ability to be seen after hours for spur-of-the-moment issues such as flare-up pain, dislocation, fracture or muscle spasm that is causing loss of sleep. Timing may vary from clinic to clinic, but these walk-in-style situations will typically offer hours both after 5 p.m. on weekdays and on weekends for added availability. For example, OI’s own walk-in clinic in Sioux Falls provides weekday hours from 3 to 7 p.m., and Saturday hours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  In Yankton, we see patients Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Reduce Costs

It can be expensive to see a doctor in an immediate situation. Luckily, walk-in orthopedic clinics often provide flexible hours for more immediate care in cases of injury or sudden pain. Better yet, specialty clinics such as OI have the equipment available for treating these types of injuries—which isn’t always true of a general walk-in clinic. These general clinics may be able to diagnose and offer minimal services and pain relief but will often times require a referral to follow up with a different clinic or physician.

A walk-in clinic at a specialized healthcare provider such as an orthopedic clinic can offer you highly personalized care that a general urgent-care clinic may not be able to provide—not immediately, at least. OI’s walk-in clinic puts you in front of an orthopedic health professional from the get-go to meet your specific needs.

See the Right Healthcare Providers

One of the key benefits of an orthopedic walk-in clinic is that, if you need to be referred to a specialist, such as a hand, foot and ankle, or back specialist, a walk-in clinic healthcare professional can supply you the connection you need to be seen by the appropriate people, often in a timelier manner than you may expect. OI’s team consists of a variety of caregivers, from physical and occupational therapists to interventional pain management services to orthopedic surgeons, so you have comprehensive orthopedic care at your disposal.

Ready to Be Seen?

Click here for details on how to be seen at OI’s walk-in clinics, OI Now.