To serve all the people of our communities and others who travel for our help, Sentara is dedicated to treating a range of head and spine concerns.
Back and neck pain: Your spine is made up of 26 vertebrae that protect your spinal cord. Discs made of cartilage sit between each vertebra, and spinal nerves run throughout the spine. Anything that affects these structures can lead to back or neck pain. That includes an injury, an infection, a tumor or a deformity.
Brain tumor: A brain tumor is a mass of abnormal cells that can be benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). A brain tumor that begins in your brain is called a primary brain tumor. If the tumor results from cancer that has spread from another part of your body, it is called a metastatic (or secondary) brain tumor.
Facial pain: Many health conditions can result in facial pain. Our skilled specialists at Sentara recognize them because we see them every day. Possible causes include:
- Headaches
- Dental problems
- Sinus conditions
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Injury
- Temporomandibular joint pain (TMJ)
Headaches: Our specialists are experts at treating all types of headaches. These include:
- Migraines: These common, and sometimes severe, headaches typically cause pain on one side of your head. The pain often occurs along with other symptoms, such as nausea or changes in your vision.
- Tension headaches: Tension headache pain typically starts at the back of your head and spreads forward on both sides. It may feel like having a tight band around your head. The pain sometimes occurs along with tightness in your shoulders, neck or jaw.
- Cluster headaches: Along with pain on one side of the head, cluster headaches often cause a stuffy nose, tearing and a droopy eyelid on one side. They are called cluster headaches because they tend to occur several times a day for a few days, weeks or months. Symptoms typically disappear for months or even years before recurring.
Spine injury: A spinal cord injury usually begins with a sudden, traumatic blow to your spine that fractures or dislocates vertebrae. Your spine is injured when displaced bone fragments, disc material or ligaments bruise or tear into spinal cord tissue. A spine injury doesn’t necessarily sever the spinal cord. Instead, the injury may cause fractures and compression of the vertebrae. This can destroy nerve cells that carry signals along your spinal cord between your brain and the rest of your body.
Spine tumors: Spinal cord tumors are abnormal growths inside your skull or along your spinal column. These tumors can be benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Many of the symptoms of spine tumors occur when their growth puts pressure on your spine and surrounding tissues.