4 Essential Treatments for One-Sided Neck Pain

Pain in the neck is so common that people refer to mild annoyances as a “pain in the neck.” Some people wake up with a “crick in the neck” from sleeping wrong. In most cases, one-sided neck pain is temporary. When it’s not, there are 4 essential treatments to explore.

 Anesthesiologist and interventional pain medicine physician Dr. James Stephens at Interventional Pain Center in Legacy Office Park, Norman, Oklahoma, can accurately diagnose and address your one-sided neck pain using one of these four essential treatments.

Pain management

If your one-sided neck pain is acute and caused by an injury (such as a forceful impact on the sports field or a broadside car collision causing side-to-side whiplash), you’ll need pain management until the inflammation subsides and damage to your tissues heals. 

Dr. Stephens carefully evaluates your current conditions using an examination, study of your medical records, and additional scans if needed. Depending on the diagnosis, we prefer to start with the most conservative options, such as medication, rest, ice/heat, and physical therapy.  

Pain injections

Pain injections block pain signals sent through nerves in the cervical spine to the brain. These injections can even help pain symptoms caused by an autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis. 

Dr. Stephens uses imaging guidance to target the nerves and gently injects pain medications directly into those areas to calm pain impulses and give you relief.   

Minimally invasive surgery

Dr. Stephens can perform minimally invasive surgery for several issues that cause neck pain. These procedures can prevent you from needing more invasive surgery for conditions like cervical spinal stenosis. You receive either general, regional, or local anesthesia plus a sedative to keep you relaxed during your procedure. 

Dr. Stepehens performs the surgery using small incisions and tiny tools. Your recovery time is short since there is minimal damage to surrounding tissues.

Spinal cord stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation involves implanting a small device, called a spinal cord stimulator, near your spine. The device delivers electrical impulses directly to your spinal cord through tiny electrical leads. These impulses interfere with the pain signals that the nerves send to your brain. 

Spinal cord stimulation might be the best solution if you’re suffering from one-sided neck pain caused by a condition like cervical radiculopathy and other options have failed.

Are you struggling with neck pain and looking for relief? Interventional Pain Center can help. Call the office at 405-759-8407 to schedule an evaluation with Dr. Stephens, or use our online booking tool today.