Treatments for back and neck pain

Doctor using a digital tablet to discuss a brain scan during a consultation in her office

Personalized treatment plans to improve spine health

Whether you experience neck pain, back pain, or both, your Penn Medicine care team is dedicated to delivering a treatment plan that ensures the best possible outcome to relieve your pain and enhance your function and mobility.

Our specialists use the latest non-surgical and surgical approaches to effectively treat the back or neck condition that’s causing you pain.

Non-surgical treatments for back and neck pain management

Back and neck pain can often be successfully treated with focused physical therapy, pain medications, and spinal injections. Some people find back and neck pain relief by doing simple treatments at home and adjusting how they move. Our experts work with you to create a treatment plan for back and neck pain relief that’s personalized to meet your needs and goals. Our physical therapists and pain psychologists will work one-on-one with you to keep you moving and take your mind off any pain.

Managing your neck and back pain through non-surgical treatments may include:

Spinal injections and nerve blocks
Bracing
Fluoroscopic-guided (X-Ray) injections
Infusion pump
Kyphoplasty
Radiofrequency ablation
Pain management
Physical therapy
Spinal cord stimulation

If these non-surgical options don’t help, your provider may recommend surgery.

Expert surgical solutions for complex spine conditions

Our specialists offer every type of surgical procedure for back and neck conditions. We have the expertise to perform surgery on complex conditions including scoliosis, cysts, disc replacements, sacrum, and spinal tumors.

Whenever possible, our surgeons recommend minimally invasive surgery. With minimally invasive surgery, our neck and back surgeons make only a few small incisions and insert tiny instruments and microscopes to repair your back or neck disorder. This type of surgery minimizes the impact on muscles and surrounding tissues, which means that patients tend to experience less pain, have faster recovery, and see better results. Your provider will talk with you about the treatment approach that’s best for you.

Our team partners with you to ensure the safest path to surgery, recovery, and follow-up care.

Foraminotomy

Foraminotomy is surgery that widens the opening (the foramen) in your spine where nerve roots leave your spinal canal. You may have a narrowing of the nerve opening (foraminal stenosis).

Spinal fusion

This surgical procedure joins bones in the spine using bone grafts, metal plates, screws, or rods.

Spinal cord stimulation

A treatment for managing severe, chronic pain by disrupting signals between the spinal cord and brain.

Kyphoplasty

Spinal Injection Consult

Disc Replacement