Neck Pain
Neck Pain Treatment That Finds the Root Cause
Turning to check your blind spot. Looking down at your phone or up at a shelf. A headache that builds by mid-afternoon. Pain that travels into your shoulder blade or arm. Neck pain wears on your whole day, and massage and pills only take the edge off. Dr. Ilana Etelzon finds what is actually driving your neck pain and treats that, so you can move freely again.
Double Board-Certified
Regenexx-Certified Provider
X-Ray & Ultrasound Guided
4 Offices in NY & NJ
Why it still hurts
Neck MRI findings are common in people with no neck pain
Neck pain is one of the most common reasons adults seek pain care, and it becomes more common in midlife. Many people are shown a neck MRI with bulging or worn discs and told that explains everything. A study of more than 1,200 adults with no neck pain in the journal Spine found that bulging discs were very common, and more so with every decade of age.
That means the image alone rarely names the true source. Neck pain usually comes from a specific structure: an arthritic facet joint, a damaged disc, loose ligaments after an injury, a pinched nerve, or the muscles that support your head. Treatment aimed at the wrong one keeps you stuck.
Pain that keeps coming back has a reason. Finding it comes first.
The root causes
Six things that drive neck pain
Most lingering neck pain has more than one of these at work at the same time. That is why massage and stretching alone rarely settle it, and why your plan should match your own mix.
1
Arthritic facet joints
These small joints at the back of the neck can wear and inflame, causing pain with turning and looking up, and often headaches.
2
A damaged disc
Small cracks in a disc can cause a deep ache and stiffness, and a bulging disc can press on a nerve.
3
A pinched nerve
A disc or bone spur can squeeze a nerve root and send pain, tingling, or weakness into the arm and hand.
4
Loose ligaments after an injury
Whiplash and other injuries can stretch the ligaments that hold the neck stable, leaving it sore and easily strained.
5
Tight, overworked muscles
Hours at a screen and a forward head posture overload the muscles that hold up your head.
6
Shoulder problems
A rotator cuff or shoulder blade problem can refer pain into the neck, and the reverse is common too.
Step one: Reveal
How Dr. Etelzon finds what is driving your neck pain
Your first visit is built around one question: what is keeping this neck from settling down? Dr. Etelzon answers it with the same careful steps every time.
- Your storyWhen it started, any injuries, which positions make it worse, what you have tried, and what you want to get back to.
- A hands-on examShe checks your neck motion, the facet joints, nerve function in your arms, and your shoulders.
- Image-guided testingWhen a specific joint is suspected, precise testing under X-ray guidance can confirm the source.
- Your imaging, read closelyShe reviews your MRI and X-rays and matches them to your exam, since many findings cause no symptoms.
You leave knowing which drivers are at work in your neck and what each part of your plan is for.
Reveal
Find every driver
Diagnose all the sources of pain before treating any of them.
Repair
Treat the tissue
Image-guided regenerative care aimed at the damaged structures.
Restore
Rebuild control
Strength and movement work so the area holds up under load.
Renew
Get back to life
Return to your activities and stay there.
Step two: Repair
Treatment matched to what is actually wrong
Once the source is clear, Dr. Etelzon chooses treatments that aim at it directly. Neck injections are placed under X-ray or ultrasound guidance, so they reach the exact joint, ligament, or nerve that needs them.
PRP Injections
Concentrated platelets from your own blood, used to calm irritated facet joints and strengthen loose neck ligaments after an injury.
Learn about PRP injections ›The SuperShot
An advanced regenerative injection built on extracellular vesicle science, used for damaged tissue in the neck.
Learn about the SuperShot ›Bone Marrow Concentrate
Cells drawn from your own bone marrow, used for more advanced damage in the joints and supporting tissues of the neck.
Learn about stem cell injections ›Shockwave Therapy
Acoustic waves that relax tight, overworked neck and upper back muscles and restore blood flow to them.
Learn about shockwave therapy ›MLS Laser Therapy
A focused laser that reduces inflammation and pain. It is often paired with injections.
Learn about MLS laser therapy ›Interventional Pain Care
When an inflamed nerve needs faster relief, interventional options can be part of the plan.
See interventional pain care ›Where cortisone fits
Steroid injections can quiet a painful flare for a while, and they have a place. They do not repair a damaged joint or ligament, so Dr. Etelzon pairs any short-term relief with treatment aimed at the source and a plan to rebuild the muscles that support your neck.
Every pattern
What can help, by type of neck pain
Neck pain falls into a few common patterns. The pattern guides the plan, and your specific drivers decide it.
Joint
Facet joint pain
Pain with turning and looking up, often with headaches. PRP placed in the irritated joint can calm it for good.
Injury
Whiplash and loose ligaments
Lingering pain and fatigue after a car accident or fall. PRP aimed at the stretched ligaments helps the neck stabilize.
Nerve
Pinched nerve pain
Pain, tingling, or weakness in the arm. Treatment aims at what is pressing on the nerve and calms it.
An honest note. Weakness in your hands, trouble with balance, or fumbling with buttons can signal pressure on the spinal cord. Tell us right away, because that needs prompt evaluation and may need a surgeon.
Results
Outcomes tracked across the Regenexx network
Regenexx collects patient-reported outcomes from certified clinics across the country. Explore the live results below.
Like all medical procedures, regenerative procedures have a success and failure rate. Individual results vary.
Step four: Renew
Back to the things your neck is for
Patients come to us wanting specific things back: cooking with the grandkids, a game of catch, a long drive, a workday without the afternoon headache. That is what we treat toward.
Time in the kitchen together
A game of catch
Your first visit
What to expect, and what it costs
Your first visit is a consultation with Dr. Etelzon: your history, a hands-on exam, image-guided testing when needed, and a review of your imaging. Bring any neck MRIs or X-rays you have. If treatment makes sense, you leave with a written plan and a clear price before anything is scheduled.
Most regenerative procedures, including PRP and bone marrow concentrate, are not covered by insurance. Many patients use HSA or FSA funds, and monthly financing is available. See our payment and financing options.
Find us
Neck pain treatment across New York and New Jersey
Dr. Etelzon and her team treat neck pain at four offices, so care is close to where you live and work.
New York
Brooklyn
2577 East 17th Street, 1st Floor Unit 18B, Brooklyn, NY 11235Brooklyn office › New JerseyClifton
1111 Paulison Ave, Unit 2, Clifton, NJ 07011Clifton office › New JerseyNewark
73-75 Ferry St, Newark, NJ 07105Newark office › New JerseyPerth Amboy
345 State St, Unit B, Perth Amboy, NJ 08861Perth Amboy office ›Call 1 (844) 959-7246 to reach any office.
Keep reading
More on neck pain and spine care
References
- Nakashima H, et al. Abnormal findings on magnetic resonance images of the cervical spines in 1211 asymptomatic subjects. Spine. 2015;40(6):392-398.
- Cohen SP. Epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of neck pain. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2015;90(2):284-299.
Find out what is driving your neck pain
One visit, a clear answer, and a plan built around your neck and the life you want back. This is where the trying stops.