Available at Apex, Holly Springs, Knightdale and Wakefield
Back and neck pain can affect nearly every part of your day—from getting dressed and sleeping comfortably to working, exercising and spending time with the people you love. At ECPC Pain Specialists, our board-certified interventional pain medicine physicians take the time to understand why you are hurting and develop a treatment plan based on the underlying cause of your pain.
We believe effective pain management starts with an accurate diagnosis and a thoughtful, individualized approach. Our goal is to help you reduce pain, restore function and get back to what matters most.
Understanding Back & Neck Pain
Back and neck pain can come from many different structures, including the muscles, joints, discs, nerves, ligaments and bones of the spine. Pain may develop gradually with age-related changes or begin suddenly after an injury, accident or other event.
Sometimes the source of pain is straightforward. In other cases, several conditions may contribute to symptoms at the same time.
Common causes of back and neck pain include:
- Herniated or degenerated discs
- Arthritis and degenerative changes in the spine
- Spinal stenosis
- Facet-joint pain
- Muscle or soft-tissue injuries
- Radiculopathy or pinched nerves
- Sacroiliac-joint dysfunction
- Vertebral compression fractures
- Pain following spine surgery
- Sports or activity-related injuries
What Does Back or Neck Pain Feel Like?
Pain can look very different from one person to another.
You may experience:
- Aching or stiffness
- Sharp or stabbing pain
- Muscle tightness or spasms
- Pain that worsens with certain movements
- Pain that travels into the buttocks, hips, arms or legs
- Numbness or tingling
- Weakness
- Difficulty standing, sitting or walking for extended periods
- Pain that interferes with sleep or daily activities
Pain that travels into an arm or leg, particularly when accompanied by numbness, tingling or weakness, may indicate irritation or compression of a spinal nerve and deserves careful evaluation.
How Is Back & Neck Pain Diagnosed?
There is no single test that identifies the cause of every back or neck problem. Your physician will begin with a detailed discussion of your symptoms, medical history and how your pain affects your daily activities.
A physical examination may help identify whether your symptoms are coming from the spine, nerves, muscles or joints.
Depending on your symptoms, your physician may also recommend imaging such as:
- X-rays
- MRI
- CT scans
- Other diagnostic testing
The goal is not simply to find something abnormal on an image. Many people have degenerative changes without experiencing pain. Instead, we work to determine whether the findings on your imaging correlate with your symptoms and examination.
Treatment for Back & Neck Pain
Treatment depends on the cause, severity and duration of your pain.
Depending on your individual condition, treatment may include:
- Physical therapy and exercise
- Medication management
- Epidural steroid injections
- Facet-joint injections
- Medial-branch blocks
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Sacroiliac-joint injections
- Selective nerve-root blocks
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Other minimally invasive or interventional procedures
Our physicians will discuss your options with you and help determine which treatments make sense for your specific situation.
Why Choose ECPC Pain Specialists?
At ECPC, we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to pain.
Our board-certified interventional pain medicine physicians have specialized training in diagnosing and treating painful conditions of the spine. We combine evidence-based medicine with advanced interventional techniques and, most importantly, take the time to understand how your pain is affecting your life.
Our goal isn’t simply to treat an MRI or prescribe a treatment. We want to understand the person experiencing the pain.
When Should I See a Pain Specialist?
Consider an evaluation if your back or neck pain:
- Has lasted longer than expected
- Continues despite conservative treatment
- Is interfering with your normal activities
- Is affecting your sleep
- Travels into your arms or legs
- Is accompanied by numbness, tingling or weakness
- Keeps returning or is becoming more difficult to manage
Some symptoms, including significant or progressive weakness, loss of bladder or bowel control, or certain symptoms following major trauma, can require urgent medical evaluation.
Take the Next Step
You don’t have to simply live with ongoing back or neck pain.
Contact ECPC Pain Specialists today to schedule an evaluation and learn more about your treatment options.
Services That May be Considered for this Condition:
- Epidural Steroid Injections
- Cervical Selective Nerve Root Blocks / Transforaminal Epidural Injections
- Cervical Medial-Branch Blocks
- Facet-Joint Injections
- Sacroiliac-Joint Steroid Injections
- Radiofrequency Ablation
- Spinal Cord Stimulation
- MILD
- Intracept
- Kyphoplasty
- Trigger-Point Injections
- Pain Medication