We often refer to life’s ongoing challenges as “a pain in the neck,” and for good reason. Neck pain can be a nagging annoyance that interferes with your ability to focus mentally and perform physically. Neck pain can stem from a number of causes, and getting to the source of your neck pain is key to resolving it.
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Clinical director & DC RMSK
Dr. Lev Kalika’s mission is to change the way chiropractors and physical therapists treat common conditions like neck pain. The neck pain specialists at NYDNRehab leverage cutting edge technologies and innovative treatment methods that are rarely found in private PT clinics.
Patients with neck pain are often subjected to unnecessary surgeries or treated with pain medications, steroid injections and muscle relaxants that fail to resolve their condition. They often go from doctor to doctor without finding lasting relief for their pain and dysfunction.
Dr. Kalika uses diagnostic ultrasonography to accurately confirm his clinical assessment. He believes that accurate diagnosis is the ultimate key to successful treatment.
The neck pain specialists at NYDNRehab go beyond treating your symptoms, pulling out all the stops to get to the true source of your neck pain and correct it for good, so you can enjoy pain-free movement again.
Conventional neck pain treatment focuses on the locus of pain without looking at the bigger picture. But your neck does not function independently of the rest of your body, and your pain could stem from issues anywhere along your body’s kinetic chain, from soles of your feet to the top of your head. In most cases, neck pain is only a symptom, not the cause itself.
Some traditional treatment options for neck pain include:
At NYDNRehab, we look at the whole person, not just the part that hurts. Only after we learn more about your activities, lifestyle, health history and other factors do we begin our diagnostic process. You may undergo ultrasound imaging, postural evaluation, gait analysis and other assessments until we pinpoint exactly what is going on.
Once we get to the source of your problem, we design a custom treatment plan especially for you, based on your unique patient profile.
Symptoms
Stiff and sore neck muscles
Sharp pain in the neck
Tenderness in the neck region
Pain that radiates to the shoulder and arm
Tingling, numbness and weakness in the arm
Difficulty gripping objects
Headaches and migraines
Causes
Athletic injuries and trauma
Awkward sleeping position
Poor posture
Texting and computer use
Whiplash
Herniated disc
Degenerative disc disease
Osteoarthritis
Spinal stenosis
Because neck pain can originate from a number of different causes, accurate diagnosis of your condition is critical. Once the source of pain is identified, a treatment plan can be put in place to resolve it.
To diagnose your neck pain, your therapist will conduct a thorough exam that may include some or all
of the following:
Patient history
We review the description and location of your neck pain, your daily physical activities and lifestyle behaviors, your postural and sleep habits, and your past and recent injuries.
Physical exam
Your physical exam may include:
Diagnostic ultrasonography
Diagnostic ultrasound lets us visualize your neck in real time, to get a picture of the
structures of your neck in motion
Being able to visualize damaged and dysfunctional tissues is a game-changer for effective treatment and optimal results. Ultrasound guidance allows us to precisely target damaged tissues and trigger points for injection therapies and dry needling procedures to relieve neck pain.
Our advanced technologies set NYDNRehab apart from run-of-the-mill physical therapy clinics that use antiquated and ineffective methods to treat neck pain.
Neck pain is sometimes caused by trigger points, tiny knots of muscle tissue that often form near the tendon-bone junction. They can sometimes be palpated from the skin’s surface, but oftentimes they are buried deep in muscle and fascia tissue. Trigger points can cause pain and limit your neck range of motion.
Using ultrasound guidance, we can detect hidden trigger points and treat them by inserting a dry (non-medicated) needle with precision into detected trigger points to elicit a twitch response, instantly relieving pain and tension.
ESWT (Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy) delivers pulses of energy at near-supersonic speeds into damaged and painful tissues. Shockwave therapy promotes blood vessel formation and increases blood flow for greater oxygen and nutrient delivery. ESWT has been shown to accelerate tissue healing and reduce pain.
EMTT (Electromagnetic Transduction Therapy): EMTT uses electromagnetic fields to reduce pain and stimulate cellular regenesis in targeted tissues. It is often used in conjunction with ESWT to optimize cellular regenesis and speed healing.
Surgery for neck pain should only be considered as a last resort. Most neck pain can be resolved with non-invasive conservative treatment. Your neck pain specialist will likely incorporate a combination of approaches in your customized treatment plan.
Some of the unique neck pain treatment approaches at NYDNRehab include:
Exercises for motor control of the upper quarter of the body
Range of motion exercises
Postural correction
Ergonomic workspace correction
Individualized home exercise program
Chiropractic care
ESWT and EMTT
At NYDNRehab, we never take a cookie-cutter approach to patient care. The symptoms of neck pain vary from one patient to the next, each with their own causative mechanisms. We thoroughly examine each patient and base our treatment solutions on your unique diagnosis. We provide one-on-one Physical Therapy, custom-designed for the individual patient.
TMJ pain can be relentless and debilitating, interfering with your ability to enjoy life to its fullest. Pain medications and surgeries fail to get to the root cause of neck pain, they only treat the symptoms without resolving their underlying causes.
At NYDNRehab, we make it our mission to get to the source of your pain and dysfunction and correct it, so you can move freely again and enjoy life to its fullest. Contact us today and make an appointment to get rid of your pain in the neck or good.