Biographical summary
Thomas P. Pittelkow, D.O., M.P.H. is a triple-boarded physician in the disciplines of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Pain Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. His primary specialty interest is cancer pain and advanced interventions for refractory pain syndromes.
His clinical focus includes:
- Expertise in treating chronic spine and nerve pain with the newest technologies in neuromodulation (spinal cord stimulation, dorsal root ganglion stimulation and intrathecal targeted drug delivery)
- Skilled comprehensive management of cancer-associated pain
- Advocate for aggressive quality focused interventions
- Competence with advanced management of complex spine pain
- Proficiency with sonographically-guided interventions for nerve and musculoskeletal pain
- Innovative strategies to achieve individual functional goals using comprehensive pain treatments
In addition to his clinical activities, Dr. Pittelkow is active in education and research, providing direct mentorship to multiple residents and fellows. He has lectured nationally and internationally on the topics of advanced interventions in pain medicine and contributes to the growing field of pain medicine by publishing in scientific medical journals.
Dr. Pittelkow serves as the Associate Program Director of the Mayo Clinic Pain Medicine Fellowship in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine.
Conditions treated
Procedures performed
- Ablation therapy
- Botox injection
- Cancer treatment
- Celiac plexus block
- Dorsal root ganglion stimulator implantation
- Epidural blood patch
- Epidural steroid injection
- Fluoroscopy
- Fluoroscopy-guided biopsy
- Hospice care
- Injection
- Intrathecal baclofen pump implantation
- Intrathecal morphine pump implantation
- Intrathecal pump implantation
- Joint injection
- Lumbar sympathetic block
- Medial branch block
- Nerve block
- Pain management
- Peripheral nerve block
- Peripheral nerve stimulation
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Radiofrequency neurotomy
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Spinal injection
- Spine procedure
- Stellate ganglion block
- Sympathetic nerve block
- Trigger point injection
- Ultrasound
- Ultrasound-guided cortisone injection
- Ultrasound-guided injection
Interests
Cancer pain management
- Advanced interventions
- Nerve blocks
- Intrathecal pain pumps
Neuromodulation for the treatment of chronic pain, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), spine pain and nerve pain syndromes (e.g. neuropathy)
- Spinal cord stimulation
- High frequency spinal cord stimulation
- Dorsal root ganglion stimulation
- Intrathecal targeted drug delivery
Medical education
- Communication of complex information
- Innovation and discovery of new learning techniques
Activities and honors