Interventional Pain Management

Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what is causing your pain and dysfunction. It’s important to find the true source of pain to determine the best course of treatment. 

Tampa Bay Spine & Sport specialists work as a team to diagnose and treat pain points thoroughly, utilizing interventional pain management, neurosurgery, physical therapy, sports medicine, chiropractic care, and PTSD counseling to address every aspect of a patient’s health and well-being.  

Dr. Christopher Schrock is a double board-certified interventional pain physician and anesthesiologist, who holds privileges at several local hospitals, where he provides compassionate care for a wide variety of patients. His primary appointment is at the James A Haley VA hospital, where he is medical director of the Chronic Outpatient Rehabilitation Pain Program.   

Dr. Schrock’s skill sets as an anesthesia pain medicine specialist serve a vital role in our team’s comprehensive approach to treating back pain, neck pain, headaches, car accident and sports injuries. Dr. Christopher Schrock, Dr. Scott Elliott, Dr. Mark Elliott and Dr. Tom Coulter also consult on every mutual patient ─ integrating treatment plans to guide each person on their path to pain-free living, with steps for preventing further injury.

If you would like to schedule a consultation with one of our specialists, please fill out our Appointment Request form or call one of our Florida locations: 

Brandon: (813) 381-3852
St. Petersburg: (727) 898-3852

An Integrated Approach to Neuro-Spinal Treatment

The Tampa Bay Spine & Sport team meets weekly to discuss the best possible scenarios and treatment options for each patient. Our close collaboration allows us to progress through the entire spectrum of conservative clinical pathways (including injections, chiropractic care and physical therapy) quickly and efficiently. 

Before considering surgery, Dr. Schrock can utilize diagnostic nerve blocks to both treat symptoms and rule out possibilities to help locate the true source of pain. When surgery makes sense, we are prepared to act quickly before an injury becomes chronic and more difficult to treat.  

Comprehensive Spine Focus

The Tampa Bay Spine & Sports group is unique in that we study the whole body, but focus on neuromuscular disorders and orthopaedic injuries that produce neck pain, mid and lower back pain, headaches, and radicular leg pain that originates in the spine. 

We provide a comprehensive range of surgical and non-surgical treatments that:

• Alleviate pain
• Improve mobility
• Regain range of motion
• Increase strength 
• Allow people to lead more independent lives

Patient Evaluation and Diagnosis

The Tampa Bay Spine & Sport team conducts a thorough evaluation with each patient to get to the root cause of pain and dysfunction and determine the best course of action. Before we operate, we want to make sure we are addressing the actual pain generator with the correct treatment. 

• Patient History – This includes a thorough physical examination to address the present illness or condition and questions to assess the effectiveness of prior treatments. 
• Diagnostic Tests – MRIs, X-rays, and other diagnostic tests may reveal issues not related to the current source of pain and mislead a diagnosis. While MRIs are valuable, they are only one piece of the diagnostic decision-making process.
• Injections – In addition to relieving pain and inflammation, an injection can be a valuable pre-surgical diagnostic tool for ruling out areas that don’t respond and redirecting treatment. 

Pain Management Treatments 

Injections are the gold standard for interventional pain management. They can help determine where pain is originating, so we can treat the true source vs. the symptoms. If pain continues after an injection, we know that area wasn’t the pain generator.  

Dr. Schrock has extensive experience with a number of interventional pain management tools:

• Epidurals – An epidural injection delivers steroids around spinal nerve roots to reduce inflammation and relieve neck, back, leg or other pain caused by irritated spinal nerves.  
• SI Joint Injections – Sacroiliac (SI) joint injections are helpful for diagnosing and treating buttock and lower back pain, with symptoms similar to sciatica. The SI joint connects the hip bones to the sacrum, a fusion of five vertebrae that holds the pelvis and spinal column together.   
• Medial Branch Blocks – A medial branch block injection helps determine where neck or back pain is coming from by numbing the medial branch nerves that carry pain signals from small bony joints in your spine (facets) to the brain.  
• Medial Branch Blocks with Radiofrequency Ablation – After a medial branch block locates the source of pain along the spine, a radiofrequency ablation uses radio waves to destroy the nerve fibers that carry the pain signals to the brain and provide relief.
• Occipital Nerve Block – An occipital nerve block is a combination of fast-acting pain medicine and steroids injected in the back of the head to treat chronic headaches caused by nerve irritation. 

On-site Availability 

Tampa Bay Spine & Sport has all of the equipment needed for providing diagnoses, injections, and other minimally invasive pain management solutions on site. This includes: 

• Digital computed radiography equipment
• A digital motion X-ray device for visualizing the source of pain and determining a treatment plan
• A radiofrequency generator for ablations that eliminate the nerve fibers that carry pain signals to the brain