Pain Management

Neck and Back Pain Relief

If you suffer from debilitating neck or back pain that interferes with your daily life, Dr. Bradley D. Ahlgren may refer you to a pain management doctor before recommending surgery. Pain management techniques may help control and manage acute and chronic pain conditions related to spinal disorders.

We understand that pain is unique to each patient, and it’s important to find the root cause of your pain so we can recommend the most effective treatments. Pain management doctors typically use nerve blocks, epidural injections, facet injections, and radiofrequency ablation to diagnose and evaluate painful spine conditions while also providing substantial relief.

Pain Management Procedures

A selective nerve root block can be performed anywhere along the spine (neck, upper back, and mid-back). An anesthetic and corticosteroid is injected around the nerve root where it exits the spinal column.

Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar epidural steroid injections are administered into the space around the spinal cord to reduce inflammation and pain caused by pressure on a specific nerve. There are three approaches that may be used: interlaminar (from the back of the spine), transforaminal (from the side where the nerve exits the spine), and caudal (through the bony opening of the tailbone).

Facet joints are located on both sides of each vertebra along your spine, with medial branch nerves passing through them. These joints both stabilize the spine and allow flexibility. Facet injections involve administering a local anesthetic and steroid into one or more facet joints to diagnose the location of pain and help relieve inflammation caused by facet joint syndrome, a degenerative condition like arthritis. Medial branch nerve blocks may be injected to stop the pain signals transmitted by these nerves.

Radiofrequency ablation uses an electric current produced by radio waves to heat up a small area of nerve tissue in the neck, upper back, or low back and deactivate the nerve to stop it from sending pain signals.

These treatments can be beneficial for patients with neck or back pain from herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, facet joint arthritis, and sciatica. Pain relief may last from 6 to 12 months or longer.

These outpatient pain management procedures require minimal down time, yet deliver pain relief for several weeks or months, depending on your specific condition and its severity. The most common of these nonsurgical procedures include:

For neck and arm pain

For upper and middle back pain

For low back and leg pain

For chronic low back and buttock pain 

Pain Management in Rochester Hills, Bad Axe, and Lapeer, Michigan

We want to help you get back to your active lifestyle as quickly and safely as possible. To learn more about our pain management services for spinal disorders, contact Ahlgren Spine today at (248) 215-8080 to arrange a consultation or use our online form to request an appointment.