Information About Injections in the Neck for Pain

According to the Cochrane Collaboration, more than 25 percent of all people will experience some type of neck pain during their lives. Neck pain can be caused by a number of things such as trauma, underlying medical conditions and degenerative changes (wear and tear due to aging). Patients who develop neck problems often experience symptoms such as pain, weakness, numbness, headaches, as well as pain, weakness and numbness that radiates down one or both of their arms. Injections are often used in the treatment of neck pain. There are several different types of injections that can be used and the cause of the patient's neck pain will determine which type of injection is administered.

• Injections are commonly used for neck pain.

Medicines Used

• According to DePuy Spine, the majority of injections for neck pain will first start with a local anesthetic to numb the area that will be injected. The most commonly used local anesthetics are Lidocaine (also referred to as Xylocaine) and Bupivacaine (also referred to as Marcaine). This medicine is fast-acting and effectively numbs the area of the neck that will be injected. Once the area is numb, the pain-causing area of the neck will be injected with a corticosteroid which is a powerful anti-inflammatory steroid drug. The most commonly injected corticosteroid is Cortisone. This medication will help reduce any inflammation in the neck, alleviating the patient's neck pain.

Trigger Point Injections

• Trigger point injections are used to treat moderate to severe muscle pain. According to Neurology Channel, this type of neck pain injection is beneficial in helping alleviate the pain associated with a muscle that fails to relax. For this procedure, a doctor will take a small needle and insert it into the painful, tight muscle muscle. A local anesthetic, such as Lidocaine, or Bupivacaine, will be injected to numb the area, alleviating the pain. In some cases, a corticosteroid is also injected.

Steroid Injections

• Steroid injections include epidural steroid injections, SI joint infections and facet joint injections. For these injections, the doctor will first numb the area with a local anesthetic. Many of these injections also use the help of a fluoroscope (an imaging machine) to help guide the needle into the exact area that the injection will go. According to DePuy Spine, for an epidural steroid injection, corticosteroids are injected into the space between the bony spinal canal and the spinal cord covering. This space is also referred to as the epidural space. For a facet joint injection, a corticosteroid is injected directly into a facet joint. The facet joints are the joints that allow the spine its flexibility and they join the spinal vertebrae together. For an SI joint injection, a corticosteroid is injected into the SI joint. The SI joint is the joint that is located between the pelvic and sacrum bones.

Hardware Injections

• Patients who have had certain types of spinal surgery may have hardware, such as pins, screws, rods and plates, in their neck. In some cases, this hardware can cause pain. According to DePuy Spine, for a hardware injection, the doctor will inject a local anesthetic along the side of the pain-causing spinal hardware to help alleviate pain.

Contraindications

• According to DePuy Spine, patients with certain medical conditions or problems may not be able to receive an injection in the neck for pain because it could lead to life-threatening complications. Patients who are taking drugs to prevent their blood from clotting and those who have a tendency to bleed heavily may not be able to have an injection for neck pain. Patients who are experiencing any type of infection should not receive an injection for neck pain until their infection is completely cured. Patients who have unstable medical conditions may not be able to have an injection for neck pain until their condition is stable.

Precautions

• Certain precautions should be taken before a patient has an injection for neck pain to avoid potentially life-threatening complications. According to DePuy Spine, patients taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs will have an increased bleeding risk and may need to stop the medication for a certain amount of days prior to having the injection. Patients with medication allergies or medication sensitivities may not be able to have an injection for neck pain. Patients with certain medical conditions should tell their doctor about all medical conditions before having an injection to avoid potentially serious complications. Some of these medical conditions include diabetes mellitus (injection could cause increased blood sugar), and giving a neck pain injection to patients with certain medical conditions could result in fluid retention. These conditions include high blood pressure, renal failure, serious cardiac disease and congestive heart failure.