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    Conditions We TreatChronic pain has many causes, and we have broad expertise in treating a wide range of conditions. Before beginning any treatment, however, we focus closely on identifying the precise nature of your pain. Pinpoint diagnosis provides the foundation to deliver maximum relief with minimum risk.View All
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    Treatment SolutionsNura combines pinpoint diagnosis with multi-point treatment to zero in on the source of chronic pain and attack it from every angle. Designed to provide real and lasting relief, precise pain management focuses your treatments exactly where they’re needed – dialing down your pain while dialing up your long-term health and well-being.View All
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Cervicogenic Headache (Whiplash Syndrome)

Whiplash injury to the spine can occur with any abrupt deceleration. Motor vehicle accidents are the most common cause of whiplash injury which can involve any spinal region: cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back) and lumbar (low back).

Cervical whiplash may also be caused by falls or any trauma to the neck. Cervical whiplash typically causes neck pain associated with “cervicogenic headache”, that is a headache triggered by a painful injury to the neck.

Cervicogenic headaches are secondary headaches, caused by an injury to the cervical spine. This sets them apart from primary headaches, such as migraines and cluster headaches which are triggered by processes inside the skull, involving the brain.

The pain caused by a cervicogenic headache begins in the neck and the back of the head and radiates towards the front of the head. People may confuse cervicogenic headaches with migraines and tension headaches, both of which can cause neck pain. Typically, people who have cervicogenic headaches experience a headache accompanied by neck pain and stiffness. Certain neck movements can provoke cervicogenic headaches.



Treatment Options for Cervicogenic Headaches

At Nura, we treat chronic whiplash pain with medications, physical therapy, nerve blocks and sometimes nerve ablation procedures.

The first interventional procedure may be a simple cervical epidural steroid injection if we believe an injury to an intervertebral disc is contributing to pain.

If epidural steroid is not helpful, we may target cervical facet joints with steroid injections, or we may recommend a diagnostic procedure called “medial branch block”. The medial branch nerves provide sensory innervation to the facet joints and can be easily blocked for diagnostic purpose.

If medial branch blocks relieve pain for the duration of the injected local anesthetic, this identifies the facet joint as a pain generator. The interventional pain specialist can then target the painful facet joint with a nerve ablation procedure called radiofrequency ablation (RFA), which may provide a year of more of pain relief.

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Edina Clinic

7400 France Avenue South
Suite 100
Edina, MN 55435
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Coon Rapids Clinic

2104 Northdale Boulevard NW
Suite 220
Minneapolis, MN 55433
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2104 Northdale Boulevard NW
Suite 220
Minneapolis, MN 55433
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