Interventional Pain Management
Empowering lives through interventional pain management.
Presently, Dr. Sykes is only seeing patients when referred by a Primary Care Physician.
Personalized Solutions for Chronic Pain
At TOA Columbia, we understand that living with chronic pain may be more than just a physical challenge— it’s a journey that affects every aspect of your life. Chronic pain, persistent and often enduring, requires a tailored approach and comprehensive care that goes beyond diagnosis by also addressing potential outcomes and quality of life. We aim to address your chronic pain, whether it’s neuropathic pain, arthritis, or another health concern, through interventional techniques.
Acute and chronic pain are sometimes mistaken for one another, but they are two separate types of discomfort. Chronic pain differs from acute pain in that the patient has suffered from chronic pain typically for more than three months, and may persist despite the fact that the initial injury or condition that caused the pain has been treated. Acute pain typically starts quickly (as with an injury) and eventually resolves.
What is Interventional Pain Management?
Interventional Pain Management is the treatment of chronic pain, due to a variety of conditions, using pain-blocking techniques. These minimally invasive procedures typically come in the form of injections such as epidural steroid injections and facet joint injections. Whether your pain originated in nerve tissue, the spinal cord, the abdomen, or elsewhere in your body, our pain physician Dr. Kenneth Sykes brings experience and dedication to interventional pain management with a focus on reducing pain and improving quality of life.
Meet Dr. Kenneth Sykes
Dr. Kenneth Sykes is the Interventional Pain Management Specialist at TOA Columbia. Dr. Sykes’ mission is to serve patients in a professional, courteous, and compassionate manner with his patient-centered approach. He uses state-of-the-art, high-quality treatments to offer a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach to caring for patients living in pain caused by a variety of medical conditions.
With his knowledge of pain management, interventional pain, and techniques such as implantable drug delivery systems, spinal cord stimulation, nerve blocks, and more, Dr. Sykes’ commitment to his patients’ well-being is his top priority.
Interventional Pain
Management Procedures
Dr. Sykes performs several different procedures geared toward patients who suffer chronic pain and have not been able to find relief via over-the-counter medication, prescription medication, physical therapy, or lifestyle changes. His treatment options include:
Spinal Cord Stimulation
Spinal cord stimulation therapy is an advanced, minimally-invasive procedure in which a small implanted device, similar to a pacemaker, sends low levels of electricity directly to the spinal cord, masking pain signals before they reach the brain. Spinal cord stimulation helps people better manage their chronic pain and reduce their use of opioid medications.
Epidural Nerve Block
An epidural nerve block is an injection into the epidural space of your spine. The purpose of this injection is to reduce the pressure, swelling, and inflammation around the nerves, thus reducing or eliminating the symptoms. This pain management technique typically involves the use of local anesthetics and is used to both identify the source of the pain and provide a reduction in acute and chronic pain.
Spinal Cord Stimulation
Spinal cord stimulation therapy is an advanced, minimally-invasive procedure in which a small implanted device, similar to a pacemaker, sends low levels of electricity directly to the spinal cord, masking pain signals before they reach the brain. Spinal cord stimulation helps people better manage their chronic pain and reduce their use of opioid medications.
Medial Branch Nerve Block
Facet or medial branch nerve blocks are injections into the facet joint or the medial branch near the nerve, and they are performed to relieve back or neck pain. These are also commonly known as facet joint injections. Facet joint injections, or medial branch nerve blocks, aim to block pain signals and provide relief to people with back pain and neck pain.
Radiofrequency Ablation Lesioning
Radiofrequency lesioning, also known as radiofrequency ablation, is a safe, proven means of interrupting pain signals from the brain. Radiofrequency current is used to heat up a small volume of nerve tissues, thereby interrupting pain signals from the brain to the specific area of the body that feels the pain. This interventional pain management method is commonly used to address chronic pain conditions such as facet joint pain, sacroiliac joint pain, and other types of neuropathic pain.
Sacroiliac Joint Injection
An SI joint injection is an injection of local anesthetic and steroid into the SI joint, located in the lower back. The purpose of this interventional pain management technique is to reduce the pressure, swelling, and inflammation in the joint space where the spine connects to the pelvis, reducing or eliminating the symptoms.
Kyphoplasty/Vertebroplasty
Kyphoplasty/vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that treats back pain from small breaks or fractures in the spine. It relieves back pain and restores vertebral height by injecting bone cement into fractured vertebrae in the spine. These interventions aim to correct spinal deformities and reduce the associated pain for patients.
Genicular Nerve Block
A genicular nerve block is a targeted injection of local anesthetic near the genicular nerves of the knee. It is performed to relieve knee pain from a variety of sources, including persistent pain after total knee replacement surgery and where pain persists following conservative treatment. These nerve blocks may be used for both diagnosis and treatment and may be repeated as required.
Peripheral Nerve Block
Peripheral nerve blocks are injections of local anesthetics near the nerves. Your pain management specialist may administer these injections to relieve various types of acute and chronic pain, offering pain management for patients with soft tissue injuries, neuropathic pain, and more. This nerve block procedure helps to reduce pain and assists doctors in finding out where the pain originates from, allowing for specific treatment plans.
How TOA Columbia Can Help You
The interventional treatments Dr. Sykes performs directly address the source of the pain. Maximum benefits may be achieved with as few as two or three sessions, but each patient is different.
Regardless of the type or source of your pain, Dr. Sykes centers his treatment around improving your quality of life. Whether you’re interested in epidural steroid injections, spinal cord stimulation, or facet joint injections, Dr. Sykes will work with you specifically to determine the most appropriate course of treatment for you.
Helping You to Break Free From Chronic Pain
Conveniently located in the heart of Columbia, TN, TOA Columbia is dedicated to delivering interventional pain management with a personalized touch. Here, your pain will be met with understanding, and your journey toward relief may begin.
Presently, Dr. Sykes is only seeing patients when referred by a primary care physician. Please have your treating physician call our office at 931-381-2663 to schedule your appointment.
