Health Issues Common In Women

Health Issues Common In Women

IPM Options For Ongoing Neck Pain

by admin

Neck pain can make it hard to complete even the most mundane daily tasks. Bend over to fold a shirt and your neck hurts. Turn your head to look out the window and your neck hurts. Taking over-the-counter pain relievers can help, but it doesn't usually get rid of the pain entirely. For better relief, it is a good idea to visit an IPM clinic. These clinics, which focus on relieving your pain through various natural, alternative, and conventional methods, tend to offer a range of treatments that are good for neck pain. Here are some key examples. 

Steroid Injections

Often, neck pain is caused by an injury to the intervertebral discs in the spine, but the pain is made worse by the tension this injury puts on tendons and ligaments in the area. When this is the case, an injection of steroids into the painful tendon or ligament can help. The steroid calms down inflammation occurring in the tissue, which makes the region less painful. A single injection of cortisone — the steroid most commonly used for this purpose — can give you several months of relief. Once your neck pain starts flaring up again, you can return to the IPM clinic for another injection. Over time, managing the ligament inflammation with steroid injections can help ease tension on the intervertebral discs themselves, allowing for greater long-term healing.

Radiofrequency Ablation

If your neck pain is primarily nerve pain, then your IPM practitioner may recommend a procedure called radiofrequency ablation. This procedure delivers powerful radiowaves to a nerve ending or nerve endings in your neck. This heats up the nerve endings and effectively deactivates them, stopping them from continuing to send pain signals. Patients can get several months of relief from one treatment, and sometimes they may receive more. You will need to rest for a day or two after radiofrequency ablation, but the relief is nearly immediate.

TENS

TENS, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, is a non-invasive treatment your IPM practitioner may recommend for days when your neck pain is really flaring up. Basically, you place two electrodes on your neck — one on either side of your spine. They send mild electrical currents to the nerves in the area, overwhelming those nerves to the point that they stop sending pain signals. Your doctors may send you home with a TENS device and show you how to use it. This is a very safe way to manage neck pain during a flare-up.

If you're dealing with chronic neck pain, it's time to visit an IPM clinic. There's so much they can do for you! Contact a local clinic, such as Inland Pain Medicine, to learn more.


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About Me

Health Issues Common In Women

My name is Shawna Banks and this is a blog that focuses on health issues that affect women. I became interested in women's health when my sister began having medical problems. After her condition worsened, she went to see a doctor. After her diagnosis and successful treatment, I helped her research the different kinds of health conditions that are common in women. By becoming knowledgeable about these types of problems, we can keep ourselves healthier. I hope that when you read this blog, it will help you to identify symptoms that shouldn't be ignored. If necessary, you can schedule an appointment with your physician as soon as possible.

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