Pain Management Chicago | Loop Medical Center
Chronic pain changes how you sleep, how you work, and how you move through the day. Many patients who come to
Loop Medical Center have already spent months or years trying treatments that provided little to no lasting pain
relief.
Interventional pain management takes a different approach. Instead of managing symptoms long term, the goal is
to identify the precise source of your pain and treat it directly. Dr. Nidal Elbaridi is a pain management
physician in Chicago with over 20 years of experience. He specializes in minimally invasive procedures that
target the source of pain to provide lasting pain relief rather than covering it up.
Same-week appointments available at our South Loop and Streeterville locations.
What Is Interventional Pain Management?
Interventional pain management is a medical subspecialty focused on diagnosing and treating pain through targeted
procedures rather than long-term medication management. Pain management physicians use image-guided techniques to
identify the specific structure causing a patient's pain and treat it directly with precision procedures.
At Loop Medical Center, every patient evaluation begins with a thorough review of history, imaging, and physical
findings. Dr. Elbaridi does not treat a symptom in isolation. He identifies its source. That distinction is why
patients who have cycled through multiple providers without answers frequently find a clear path forward at their
first consultation here.
Conditions Our Pain Management Doctors Treat
Loop Medical Center's pain management doctors evaluate and treat a wide range of acute and chronic pain conditions.
Spine and Back Pain
- Herniated Disc and Bulging Disc
- Spinal stenosis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Facet Joint Syndrome
- SI joint dysfunction
- Failed back surgery syndrome
Nerve Pain
- Sciatica and radiculopathy
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Nerve compression and entrapment
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
- Post-surgical nerve pain
Neck and Upper Body
- Cervical disc herniation
- Cervical radiculopathy
- Occipital neuralgia
Joint Pain
- Knee, hip, and shoulder pain
- Osteoarthritis
- Sacroiliac joint pain
Other Conditions
- Fibromyalgia
- Migraines and headaches
- Work injuries and auto accident pain
For pain management in Chicago across any of these conditions, call (312) 414-1088. Same-week appointments are available with no referral required.
How Dr. Elbaridi Approaches Pain Management in Chicago
Many patients arrive at Loop Medical Center having been told their pain is untreatable, that surgery is the only
option, or that ongoing opioid prescriptions are the best they can expect. In most cases, none of those
conclusions are accurate.
Dr. Elbaridi's approach starts with diagnosis. Treating pain without identifying its source is the reason so many
patients cycle through treatments that do not work. Before any procedure is recommended, Dr. Elbaridi reviews your
imaging, takes a full history, and performs a physical examination directed at the specific structures that may be
causing your pain.
Once the source is confirmed, he develops an individualized chronic pain program that moves from conservative to
interventional options based on your diagnosis, history, and response to treatment. The goal is not to manage pain
indefinitely. It is to resolve the underlying cause and deliver lasting pain relief.
Pain Management Treatments at Loop Medical Center
Dr. Elbaridi performs the full range of interventional pain management procedures using fluoroscopy and ultrasound image guidance for precision and patient safety.
Injections and Nerve Blocks
- Epidural steroid injections (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar)
- Medial branch nerve blocks
- Facet joint injections
- Selective nerve root blocks
- SI joint injections
- Trigger point injections
- Occipital nerve blocks
- Stellate ganglion and celiac plexus blocks
Advanced Procedures
- Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)
- Spinal cord stimulation (SCS)
- Intrathecal pain pumps
- Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty
- PRP injections
- Joint injections for knee, hip, and shoulder
Every procedure is image-guided. Fluoroscopy and ultrasound guidance mean the treatment reaches the correct target every time, maximizing pain relief and precision for each patient.
Why Chicago Patients Choose Loop Medical Center
Specialist, not generalist. Dr. Elbaridi completed his Interventional Pain Management Fellowship at Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women's Hospital. Our pain specialists focus exclusively on interventional pain management. We do not offer occasional pain injections alongside other services.
Diagnosis before treatment. Every recommendation at Loop Medical Center follows a thorough diagnostic process. If
another provider has not been able to explain the source of your pain, that is exactly what a consultation with
Dr. Elbaridi is designed to address.
No opioid dependency. Our approach to Chicago pain relief prioritizes targeted procedures that address the source
of pain. Long-term opioid management is not the standard of care here.
Melanie A. Arlington Heights
Dr. Elbaridi and the entire team are truly exceptional. Their bedside manner and genuine care make you feel like more than just another patient, which ...
Lynne K. Mt Prospect
If you feel like youre not being heard please head here with dr. Elbaridi. He got me my mri asap, helped me get proper physical therapy and helped wit ...
Adriana M. Chicago
I’ve been coming to Loop Medical Center for my vein procedures with Dr. Nidal, and I couldn’t be more impressed. From the moment you walk in, the enti ...
Insurance Coverage for Pain Management in Chicago
Loop Medical Center is a pain management Chicago clinic that accepts most Medicare Advantage, PPO, and HMO plans,
including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, United Healthcare, Tricare, and more. Workers' Compensation and Personal
Injury cases are accepted with no out-of-pocket cost.
Most interventional pain management procedures, including epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, and
radiofrequency ablation, are covered by Medicare and most commercial plans when medically indicated.
Call (312) 414-1088 with any insurance questions before your visit. We will confirm your coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pain Management in Chicago
What does a pain management doctor do?
A pain management doctor specializes in diagnosing and treating the source of acute and chronic pain. Unlike primary care physicians or surgeons, pain management experts focus specifically on pain and use interventional techniques such as image-guided injections, nerve blocks, and radiofrequency ablation. At Loop Medical Center, Dr. Elbaridi builds a chronic pain program for each patient based on their specific diagnosis, imaging, and history, then delivers targeted pain relief through the most appropriate procedure.
Do I need a referral to see a pain specialist in Chicago?
No. You can call Loop Medical Center directly at (312) 414-1088. No referral from your primary care physician is required to schedule a consultation with Dr. Elbaridi.
What is the difference between a pain management doctor and an orthopedic surgeon?
A pain management physician specializes in non-surgical and minimally invasive treatment of pain conditions. An orthopedic surgeon specializes in surgical correction of structural problems. For most chronic pain conditions, interventional pain management is the recommended first step before surgery is considered.
How long do pain management treatments last?
Duration of relief varies by procedure. Epidural steroid injections typically provide 3 to 6 months of significant relief. Radiofrequency ablation can provide 9 to 18 months of relief and can be repeated as nerves regenerate. Spinal cord stimulation provides ongoing relief as a long-term treatment option. Dr. Elbaridi will give you realistic expectations for your specific procedure during your consultation.
What if I have already tried injections and they did not work?
The outcome of any injection depends on the accuracy of the underlying diagnosis. If a prior injection did not provide relief, it may mean the injection targeted the wrong structure. Dr. Elbaridi will review your history and prior treatments before recommending the next step. A diagnostic block is often used to confirm the exact source of pain before a therapeutic procedure is performed.
Can chronic pain be treated without surgery?
For most patients, yes. The majority of chronic spine, joint, and nerve pain conditions can be significantly improved with interventional procedures. Targeted pain management procedures often deliver relief equivalent to or better than surgical outcomes, without the recovery time or surgical risk.