Buffalo Grove patients make the easy trip to my Hoffman Estates pain practice — about 25 minutes via Lake Cook Road and Route 53. Many come for image-guided spine and joint procedures they could not find closer to home.
I am Dr. Keith Schmidt, MD, triple board-certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology, the American Board of Anesthesiology in Pain Medicine, and the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians. I focus on the image-guided procedures that treat the source of chronic pain rather than just masking it.
Why Buffalo Grove patients choose this practice
Interventional pain medicine is a subspecialty, and matching the right procedure to the right pain generator is what makes it work. My Buffalo Grove patients tend to fall into a few groups:
- Professionals and commuters who want durable relief without long recovery times.
- Active families along the Lake Cook corridor — runners, cyclists, tennis and pickleball players — with chronic back, knee, and shoulder pain.
- Older residents managing spinal stenosis, compression fractures, and arthritis who want options short of spine surgery.
- Patients whose earlier injections did not hold and who want a methodical diagnostic approach.
The procedures my Buffalo Grove patients come for
These are the treatments patients ask me about most often. Each links to a detailed guide:
- Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) — lasting relief for facet-mediated back and neck pain and for knee arthritis, after a confirming diagnostic block.
- Basivertebral nerve ablation (Intracept) — a single-procedure treatment for vertebrogenic low back pain from the vertebral endplates.
- Spinal cord and DRG stimulation — for nerve pain, stubborn sciatica, and persistent pain after back surgery.
- Sciatica and radicular pain treatment — epidurals and targeted nerve work for leg pain from a pinched nerve.
- Epidural steroid injections, medial branch blocks, genicular nerve blocks, and kyphoplasty for compression fractures.
Not sure which procedure fits? That is what a consultation is for. I have written plain-English comparison guides on Intracept vs. RFA vs. epidural and RFA vs. medial branch block.
Conditions I treat for Buffalo Grove patients
- Chronic low back pain, herniated discs, and sciatica
- Neck pain and cervical radiculopathy
- Vertebrogenic (endplate) low back pain with Modic changes on MRI
- Knee, hip, and shoulder pain, including pain after joint replacement
- Spinal stenosis and vertebral compression fractures
- Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
- Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and post-surgical pain
- Chronic migraine and occipital neuralgia
Directions from Buffalo Grove
From Buffalo Grove, take Lake Cook Road west to Route 53 south, or Dundee Road to I-90 — usually about 25 minutes depending on traffic. My office is at 1555 Barrington Road, DOB 3, Suite 2400, Hoffman Estates, IL 60169.
Insurance and scheduling
Most major plans accepted, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Humana, and Medicare. We verify benefits before your first visit and coordinate with your Buffalo Grove-area primary care doctor on every note.
Call: (847) 981-3630 Online: Request an appointment
Frequently asked questions from Buffalo Grove patients
How long is the drive from Buffalo Grove?
About 25 minutes via Lake Cook Road and Route 53, depending on traffic.
Will you coordinate with my Buffalo Grove or north suburban doctors?
Yes. I copy your primary care physician and any referring specialist on every consult and procedure note.
I have had back surgery and still hurt. Should I come in?
Yes. Persistent pain after spine surgery is one of the strongest indications for spinal cord stimulation, which has excellent long-term data. It is worth a consultation.