Are You Unsure How To Correctly Treat Neck Pain?
3 Keys To Solving Neck Pain
- Using Medical Technology. While Dr Tan has well over a decade of experience helping patients with neck pain, he understands that the key to success is using non-invasive medical technology based on medical advancements.
- Focus. To ensure that our patients with neck pain get the attention and results they want, we do not treat general medical conditions such as diabetes and cough. We also do not perform spine surgery. This allows us to focus our efforts and your consultation time on finding the most appropriate non-invasive medical solutions available for neck pain.
- Accurate Diagnosis. Without an accurate diagnosis, it is difficult to be sure you are getting the most suitable treatment. It is possible for mild cases of neck pain to be managed by an experienced doctor who can provide treatment based on your clinical history and physical examination.
However if your initial treatments have not been effective, an X-ray or an MRI are recommended to confirm your diagnosis. If you have already done a scan but have not been given a clear explanation of your condition, we are can help.
What Causes Neck Pain?
Many people suffer from neck aches, pain and stiffness.
While there are sometimes dangerous reasons such as an infection, tumors, and fractures, these are rare.
While common causes of neck pain such as posture, neck sprain, (wear and tear) degenerative cervical spondylosis, slipped discs and muscular trigger points are usually not dangerous, they can cause significant distress.
Neck pain can make it hard to move the neck, affect our ability to concentrate at work, reduce the joy of sports and exercise, impact our social interactions and result in poor mood.
How Do Other Clinics Generally Treat Neck Pain?
For many patients, their doctors will likely prescribe rest and medications for a short period of time. Long-term medications are less likely to be curative and risk potential side effects.
Physiotherapy when properly applied is another well accepted solution to achieve pain relief.
Using techniques such as manual therapy, medical massage, ultrasound, spinal decompression, stretches and exercises, it can have a good result in many cases.
Why Are My Neck Pain Treatments Not Working?
When the previous treatments are not successful, we often find a few common reasons:
- The previous diagnosis was not precise. Imaging scans and clinical experience can be needed in these cases.
- Treatment was prescribed which took into account only one aspect of the condition. For example, painkillers may treat only the inflammation without addressing the underlying wear and tear.
- Limited available options available. Patients were only recommended rest and exercise instead of newer medical solutions.
- Patients were offered impractical treatment plans. Common examples include being offered expensive and frequent treatments for extended periods.
Can I Avoid Surgery?
In rare occasions of medical emergency such as a fracture and an unstable joint, surgery is a necessary option.
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 balance this against the potential benefits expected.
At the Pain Relief Clinic, we use different approaches to help patients achieve freedom from neck pain.
Most of our patients use a combination of non-invasive medical solutions and nutritional correction with very good results.
Others who prefer a fast, minimally invasive approach can use injections to regain a pain-free life.
How Do You Treat Neck Pain?
We adopt a targeted approach that addresses how the multiple component causes of pain affect you.
This allows us to provide a treatment strategy that targets the root causes of your condition using medical technology in a comprehensive and cost-effective way.
Depend on your specific condition, some of the useful options that can give very good results include:
- Dietary Correction
- Non-Invasive Shockwave Therapy which stimulates long-lasting healing very cost-effectively
- Radiofrequency Therapy which gives rapid recovery from neck pain
- Rehabilitative Electromedical Stimulation
Our Signature Pain Solutions
Shockwave Therapy
Used internationally as a non-invasive method of treating pain and inflammation using high-energy acoustic waves.
Indiba Active
The non-invasive radiofrequency treatment used by leading professional sports teams, hospitals, and clinics across Europe and Japan for pain relief.
Electromedical Stimulation
Cleared by the US FDA for Muscle Conditioning, it offers powerful applications in sports science, rehabilitation medicine, and pain management.
1st Visit Consultation
$50
- Clearly understand your condition
- Learn why previous treatments did not work
- Explore effective options
- Use medical technology
- Arrange affordable X-ray, Ultrasound, or MRI scans
- Get a clear diagnosis
- Get a second opinion
- Avoid surgery risks
- Avoid medication side effects
- Avoid repetitive treatments
Our Doctor
As the principal pain doctor in Singapore running The Pain Relief Clinic, Dr Terence Tan’s passion for pain relief grew out of personal experience.
Having spent well over a decade treating patients suffering from pain, Dr Tan developed his special interest by introducing non-invasive pain solutions and tissue repair technologies into Singapore.
Dr Tan combines multiple FDA approved and EU CE marked non-invasive pain treatments into comprehensive clinical practice.
He frequently shares his expertise in seminars both locally and overseas.
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 result oriented pain treatments, his philosophy is to always offer patients the safest, most effective and least invasive treatments available.
His patients appreciate the value of being able to have consultations, investigations (xray, ultrasound and MRI), and treatments all done on the same day, especially when they are suffering from severe pain.
Dr Tan’s clinical approach is that while there is a role for short term medications in specific situations, patients do not generally want to be dependent on long term painkillers or try risky solutions.
Even in age related, “wear and tear”, and other chronic conditions, a comprehensive yet targeted approach can help patients be free from pain and lead a healthy active life.
Health Education @ OCBC
Demonstration @ Serangoon Gardens Country Club
Presentation @ Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore
Why Choose The Pain Relief Clinic
Results
From Over 29 Countries
Fees
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Which Patients Benefit From Your Treatments?
Patients with both short-term as well as long-term pain conditions, especially those who have unsuccessfully tried other treatments, can benefit from our treatments.
How Is The Pain Relief Clinic Different From Other GP clinics, Specialist Clinics, Physiotherapists And Chiropractors?
Most GP clinics often focus on education and medications. Specialist clinics often emphasize invasive procedures and surgery which may not be appropriate for some patients. Physiotherapists often exercises, massage, rehabilitation, and heat treatments. Chiropractors tend to do manipulations of the spine.
At The Pain Relief Clinic, our doctor will first go through your medical history, conduct an examination, and where appropriate, order some investigations, before recommending a treatment based on your condition.
Our aim is usually to achieve long-lasting pain relief by repairing the underlying cause of your medical condition.
Treatments may include medications, nutritional correction and strengthening exercises but most effective are the non-invasive treatments such as shockwave therapy.
How Many Treatments Are Required?
In general, for acute, short-term conditions, patients can expect good relief within 1 or 2 treatments. For patients with long-term, severe pain, who have unsuccessfully tried other treatments, most will still experience improvement in 1 or 2 visits, but may need more sessions for ideal results.
Are The Fees Expensive?
The fees will depend on your specific condition and preferred treatment approach. Our standard first consultation charge is $50 unless your condition is extremely complex.
Treatments are typically more cost-effective than paying for long-term medications, repeated massages and surgery.
Can I Pay Using Insurance?
Many of our patients have their medical bills covered by insurance.
Common types of insurance plans include:
- Medical Outpatient coverage by employers.
- Travel Insurance claims for patients and tourists injured while on holiday. This includes many types of sudden onset neck and back pain or stiffness, as well as knee and shoulder injuries.
- Personal Accident insurance plans for patients who suffer pain due to sprains, falls and other accidental injuries.
- Personal Outpatient medical policies.
- Integrated Shield Plans that many Singaporeans have bought using their Medisave can be very useful to cover medical treatments.
- Hospital and Surgical Plans are also commonly used by many patients.
Can I Use Medisave?
This will depend on your medical diagnosis after consultation with our doctor.
Under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP), the Ministry of Health (MOH) allows the use of Medisave for outpatient treatment for some medical conditions that can cause joint and muscle aches, pain and stiffness in many patients.
For each bill, patients will need to co-pay 15% of the bill in cash. Medisave can be used to pay for the remaining amount.
Withdrawals will be subject to an annual outpatient withdrawal limit of $500 per Medisave account.
Our doctor is an “approved medical practitioner” under the MediSave and MediShield Life Schemes.
Our Clinic History
The Pain Relief Clinic started providing non-invasive treatments in 2007.
Our brand of cost-effective pain treatments combines traditional techniques with approved medical technology to achieve optimal results for patients from over 29 countries.
Over the past decade we have grown into an international medical group of doctors and physiotherapists with clinics in Singapore and Indonesia, and a new clinic planned for Cambodia.
3 Common Misconceptions about Pain
- My pain is persistent. I’ve tried gels, painkillers, injections and alternative treatments which did not work. There is no choice except for surgery.
- My pain is due to wear and tear, age related degeneration. Nothing much can be done, while it gets worse with time. I must just learn to live with it.
- My pain is due sports injury and exercise causing a muscle, ligament or cartilage tear. The only options are resting, physiotherapy, steroid injections and maybe surgery.
The Importance of Treating Pain Effectively
Persistent pain from chronic injuries, wear and tear, nerve pain, and other causes often results in frustration, low energy level, poor sleep (insomnia), irritability, depressed mood, difficulty with concentration and memory, mobility problems and even reduced sexual function.
Relationships with friends and family, work, personal happiness and life in general may also be affected. Pain has even been associated with loss of brain mass.By properly treating persistent pain, patients will be able to enjoy work, sports, and life in general more effectively.
Sleep will also become more restful, resulting in more energetic days and better moods.
More importantly, pain and its underlying cause must be properly treated to prevent it from getting worse, and deteriorating to the point where surgery and other invasive treatments become necessary.
