Neck Aches, Pain and Stiffness

What is Neck Pain?

Neck pain is a common ailment, and the prevalence of neck pain continues to increase. Neck and spine doctors in Singapore are crucial for ensuring that your treatments are appropriate and suitable for your problem. After all, your neck protects your spine, which is important to every aspect of living.

Causes of Neck Pain

Relief for neck pain can come in many forms; neck doctors in Singapore can offer various types of neck muscle pain relief, including both quick neck pain relief and more long-term solutions.

Type of Neck Pain

• Axial Neck Pain
• Radicular Neck Pain
• Referred Neck Pain
• Myelopathic Neck Pain

Other situations where it is important to consult a neck pain specialist (orthopaedic) doctor in Singapore urgently include when there are “red flags” such as a fever, loss of weight, generally feeling ill, dizziness, experiencing pain that wakes you up from sleep, or arm pain, numbness and weakness.

In long standing conditions which have been properly assessed by your doctor to not be dangerous or in mild cases of neck sprain, rest and self-help measures can be useful for quick neck muscle pain relief.

Do I Need To Do an X-ray or MRI?

Many mild cases can usually be well managed by an experienced doctor who can provide a clinical diagnosis based on a patients clinical history and physical examination.

In cases where the initial treatments have not been effective, an X-ray would be a cost effective way to rule out most dangerous underlying problems.

In selected cases, an MRI might also be appropriate to provide a precise diagnosis.

How Can Neck Pain Be Treated?

For many patients, neck pain treatment in Singapore will likely include rest and medications for a short period of time. Long-term medications to get relief for neck pain are less likely to be curative and risk potential side effects.

Physiotherapy when properly applied is another well accepted option for neck pain relief.
Using techniques such as manual therapy, medical massage, ultrasound, spinal decompression, stretches and exercises, it can provide instant neck pain relief in some cases.

Some doctors might recommend steroidal and trigger point injections.

How Can I Get Quick Neck Pain Relief?

Some patients consult traditional Chinese neck doctors in Singapore hoping for quick neck pain relief. Neck pain can be caused by a number of factors including poor posture, stress or tension in your muscles, or direct trauma to the area. Acupuncture can sometimes provide quick neck muscle pain relief.

However, the relief may be temporary if the underlying condition is more complicated.

Why Are My Treatments Not Working?

When the previous neck pain treatments are not successful, we often find a few common factors:

• The previous diagnosis was not precise. Imaging scans and clinical experience can often be very helpful in these cases.
• Treatment was prescribed which took into account only one aspect of the condition. e.g., treating only the inflammatory component of degenerative neck pain using painkillers without addressing the underlying wear and tear.
• Limited available options available. Patients were only offered painkillers and exercise instead of newer medical solutions.
• Patients were offered impractical treatment plans which they could not accept. Common examples include being offered expensive and frequent treatments for extended periods.

Is Surgery Necessary

In rare occasions of medical emergency such as a fracture and an unstable joint, surgery with a neck pain specialist orthopaedic surgeon is a necessary option to get relief from neck pain.

In most other cases, even where pain and stiffness are severe or have been present for a long time, there are multiple non-surgical options that a patient should first consider.

As surgery can have significant risks and cost, it is important to discuss this in detail with your doctor. If necessary, we will refer you to a suitable neck and spine specialist in Singapore.

I Had Surgery And It Did Not Work. Why?

In rare cases, patients may continue to suffer from symptoms of pain and stiffness after neck surgery.

This can be a source of significant frustration especially when you expected surgery to be a dramatic “last hope” for neck pain relief.

It can also be confusing when you are told “the scans are okay” or “the surgery was successful” but do not feel better.

This can be a complex condition and there are many possible reasons.

In some instances, the body has not had enough time to fully recover and symptoms will improve with rest.

At times, there could be some technical aspects of surgery that should best be discussed with the surgeon.

There are also cases where a patient’s original symptoms are caused by multiple factors such as inflammation, joint dysfunction, degeneration, and muscular trigger points.

Surgery may correct one specific cause of the patient’s symptoms but not be able to address the other causes.

In such instances, a comprehensive post-surgery treatment plan is likely needed.

What Is Your Doctor’s Experience Treating Neck Pain?

Dr Terence Tan has been treating neck pain at The Pain Relief Clinic since 2007. For the past 15 years, he has been using non-invasive technology to help patients recover from neck pain problems.

He is accredited with both the Family Physician Accreditation Board and the Singapore Medical Council. He is also a member of the Singapore Medical Association and The Pain Association of Singapore.

Committed to providing quick neck pain relief, his philosophy is to always offer patients the safest, most effective and least invasive technology driven  treatments possible.

Can I Use Medisave And Medical Insurance To Pay For Treatments?

As our treatments are very affordable and cost-effective, many patients choose to self pay.

For those with Insurance coverage, we are happy to help support medical claims.

Medisave is another very popular option to help pay for medical treatments.

What New Treatment Options Can Your Neck Pain Clinic Offer For My Neck Pain?

At our neck pain clinic, we adopt a biomedical targeted approach that addresses how the multiple component causes of pain affect you.

This allows us to provide treatment strategy that targets the root causes of your condition using medical technology in a comprehensive and cost-effective way.

Depending on your specific condition, some of the useful options that can give very good results include:

• Dietary Correction
• Indiba Therapy which gives rapid and long lasting recovery from neck pain
• Rehabilitative Electromedical Stimulation

Non-Invasive Shockwave Therapy For Neck Pain

• An internationally established method of treating pain and inflammation through stimulating tissue repair
• Approved by the US FDA and EU CE marked German technology

 

 

If you are suffering from neck pain, or if your condition has not improved despite standard treatments and have been told to consider surgery, we are able to help.