Outpatient Treatment Options

Our Commitment to Pain Relief

Welcome to Innovative Pain Medicine (IPM)! We appreciate you choosing us for your pain management care.

At IPM, our core philosophy is simple: you deserve the best care possible through minimally invasive, holistic, and effective procedures. Our goal is to partner with you to achieve a healthier, pain-free life.

We want your care to be convenient and accessible. All of the treatments listed below are performed on an outpatient basis at most of our locations. We accept most major insurances, as well as No-Fault and Worker's Compensation.

To discuss your treatment options and schedule your initial appointment, please call our staff at 917-686-0987.

Our Procedures

Procedure Descriptions

Celiac Plexus Block

• What It Is: An injection that numbs a cluster of nerves (celiac plexus) to treat severe upper abdominal pain.

• Common Reasons: Pancreatic cancer, chronic pancreatitis, abdominal cancers.

• How It Works: Blocks pain signals from the abdomen and specific internal organs from reaching the brain.

Cervical Discectomy, non-surgical

• What It Is: A non-surgical method (e.g., nucleoplasty) used to reduce the size of a bulging or herniated disc in the neck.

• Common Reasons: Herniated disc, radiating arm pain (radiculopathy), nerve root compression.

• How It Works: Uses a specialized needle to remove or shrink the disc material pressing on the nerve.

Cervical Epidural Injection

• What It Is: An injection of steroid and anesthetic medication into the epidural space surrounding the spinal nerves in the neck.

• Common Reasons: Cervical radiculopathy, herniated disc, spinal stenosis.

• How It Works: Reduces inflammation and swelling around irritated spinal nerves, providing pain relief to the neck and arm.

Cervical Medial Branch Block

• What It Is: A diagnostic injection to determine if the small nerves (medial branch nerves) supplying the neck's facet joints are causing pain.

• Common Reasons: Whiplash injury, arthritis/facet joint pain, chronic neck pain.

• How It Works: Temporarily numbs the specific nerves; if pain relief is achieved, it confirms the joint as the source.

Cervical Sympathetic Nerve Block

• What It Is: An injection of anesthetic near the neck's sympathetic nerves to treat pain driven by the nervous system.

• Common Reasons: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) in the arm, vascular headaches, shingles pain.

• How It Works: Interrupts nerve signals in the sympathetic nervous system to reduce pain, swelling, and abnormal sweating.

Cervical Thoracic Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)

• What It Is: A procedure that uses heat (radio waves) to provide long-term relief by deactivating specific medial branch nerves in the neck and upper back.

• Common Reasons: Chronic neck pain, facet joint arthritis, pain confirmed by a diagnostic block.

• How It Works: Creates a small heat lesion on the nerve, stopping it from transmitting pain signals to the brain.

Genicular Nerve Ablation

• What It Is: A procedure using radiofrequency energy to block pain signals from the genicular nerves that transmit pain from the knee joint.

• Common Reasons: Chronic knee pain, osteoarthritis, persistent pain after knee replacement (arthroplasty).

• How It Works: Deactivates the sensory nerves around the knee, effectively turning off the pain signal to the brain.

Joint Injection (Shoulder, Hip, etc.)

• What It Is: An injection of steroid and/or anesthetic directly into a painful or inflamed joint (e.g., knee, shoulder, hip).

• Common Reasons: Osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, bursitis, synovitis.

• How It Works: Delivers powerful anti-inflammatory medication directly to the joint space to reduce swelling and pain.

Lumbar Discectomy, non-surgical

• What It Is: A non-surgical method (e.g., percutaneous nucleoplasty) used to shrink a bulging or herniated disc in the lower back.

• Common Reasons: Herniated disc, radiating leg pain (sciatica), nerve root compression.

• How It Works: Uses a small probe or specialized needle to remove or shrink the disc material pressing on the nerve.

Lumbar Epidural Injection

• What It Is: An injection of steroid and anesthetic medication into the epidural space surrounding the spinal nerves in the lower back.

• Common Reasons: Sciatica, lumbar radiculopathy, herniated disc, spinal stenosis.

• How It Works: Reduces inflammation and swelling around irritated spinal nerves, providing pain relief to the back and legs.

Lumbar Medial Branch Block

• What It Is: A diagnostic injection to determine if the small nerves (medial branch nerves) supplying the lower back's facet joints are causing pain.

• Common Reasons: Lumbar facet joint arthritis, chronic low back pain, pain after an injury.

• How It Works: Temporarily numbs the specific nerves; if pain relief is achieved, it confirms the joint as the source.

Lumbar Sacroiliac Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)

• What It Is: A procedure that uses heat to deactivate the sensory nerves around the sacroiliac (SI) joint for long-term pain relief.

• Common Reasons: Chronic SI joint dysfunction, low back pain, pain confirmed by a diagnostic block.

• How It Works: Creates a small heat lesion on the nerves supplying the joint, stopping pain signals from the SI joint.

Lumbar Sympathetic Block

• What It Is: An injection of anesthetic near the lower back's sympathetic nerves to treat pain in the legs or feet.

• Common Reasons: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) in the leg/foot, peripheral vascular disease, shingles pain.

• How It Works: Interrupts nerve signals in the sympathetic nervous system to reduce pain, swelling, and abnormal sweating in the leg.

Peripheral Nerve Ablation

• What It Is: A procedure using radiofrequency energy to interrupt pain signals from a specific named nerve outside of the spine.

• Common Reasons: Chronic neuralgia, specific nerve entrapment, persistent joint or limb pain.

• How It Works: Deactivates the targeted peripheral nerve, preventing it from sending pain signals to the brain.

Sacroiliac Joint Injection

• What It Is: An injection of steroid and anesthetic medication directly into the sacroiliac (SI) joint, which connects the spine and pelvis.

• Common Reasons: SI joint dysfunction/inflammation, low back pain, buttock pain.

• How It Works: Delivers powerful anti-inflammatory medication directly into the joint to reduce inflammation and pain.

Spinal Cord Stimulator

• What It Is: An implanted device that delivers mild electrical pulses to the spinal cord to interrupt the feeling of pain.

• Common Reasons: Failed back surgery syndrome, chronic limb pain, intractable neuropathic pain.

• How It Works: Replaces the feeling of pain with a mild, more tolerable tingling sensation or no sensation at all.

Tap Block

• What It Is: An injection of local anesthetic into the fascial plane of the abdominal wall near the Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) nerves.

• Common Reasons: Post-surgical pain (e.g., hernia repair, C-section), chronic abdominal wall pain, abdominal neuralgia.

• How It Works: Numbs the abdominal wall nerves, providing targeted and powerful pain relief to the surgical site or abdomen.

Trigger Point Injection

• What It Is: An injection of local anesthetic (and sometimes steroid) directly into a tight, tender, knotted band of muscle (trigger point).

• Common Reasons: Muscle tension headache, myofascial pain syndrome, localized muscle spasms.

• How It Works: Relaxes the muscle knot, breaking the cycle of muscle spasm and pain, restoring normal function.