Cervical Medial Branch Block

More than half of the world's population will face neck pain at some point in their lives. If neck pain persists for long periods or it creates problem several times, it is called chronic. Usually chronic neck pain is caused by abnormalities in soft tissues, either because of injury or because of extended wear. Different types of chronic pain in the neck are caused by different factors:

muscle fatigue:
Overuse creates strain in the neck soft tissues. It creates a sharp pain in the neck and back. Poor posture and work habits to keep the pain for long periods. Repeated overuse of the muscles causes pain especially in the back of the neck.

Cervical foraminal stenosis:
Pain that develops very slowly over years and occurs especially after neck positions could be due to cervical foraminal stenosis. Wear and aging of the vertebral joints in the neck or at the edge of the disc creates this type of pain. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish this type of pain from muscle pain based on X-ray and CT. In such cases, an injection called a medial branch block (MBB) is performed. The injection confirms that the cause of pain is the facet joints.

Herniated cervical
herniated cervical disc is the main cause of neck pain radiating down the arm, in some cases their hands and fingers. Herniated or stimulate bone compresses the spinal cord due to pain. Symptoms of this type of pain can develop both suddenly and slowly. If the pain does not respond to conservative therapy (medications, physical therapy or manipulation), surgery may be necessary.

Disc injuries:
Hard to control the movement of the neck. When disks are stressed beyond the limits of their pain is experienced, which extends to the annular wall (outer disk). An example of this is a neck injury. The muscles and ligaments are inflamed or stressed by an accident. Neck pain, sometimes flares or worsens. The pain is increased by certain postures. In most cases, it is cured, but for some people, it causes pain in normal activities. Approximately one quarter of patients develop pain due to cervical disc injury.

Using acupuncture to relieve the symptoms of neck pain:

Acupuncture is part of the year 2500 old science of natural healing called traditional Chinese medicine. It also includes Asian bodywork therapy and Chinese herbal therapy. The practice of acupuncture has proven to be an accepted treatment in the world neck pain. Acupuncture needles are inserted into points empirically accurate, called acupuncture point, located along the meridians of the organs, to stimulate the smooth flow of Qi energy. Qi energy is supposed to be part of every living thing that exists as a sort of life force or spiritual energy.

Acupuncture aims to affect the central nervous system, including the spinal cord, midbrain and hypothalamic-pituitary complex. Studies have also shown that acupuncture promotes vasodilation and increases blood flow. Concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol and phospholipids in the blood may decrease as a result of acupuncture. Acupuncture is also said to positively affect the immune system. We believe this is due to endprphins acting as mediators between the central nervous system and immune system.

Reduce chronic pain:

Double blind scientific leads, acupuncture has been proven effective in the treatment of chronic pain, 55% to 85% of patients reported positive effects. This compares favorably to the efficiency of powerful drugs like morphine, which resulted in 70% of cases.

Acupuncture is currently used worldwide in the context of drug withdrawal ordered by the court and drug treatment programs. In a remarkable study, 42% of alcoholics remained alcohol free for three months after acupuncture.