Ask 72-year-old Mabel Kirkes of St. Amant about her spine doctor, Kevin McCarthy, and you’ll hear some rave reviews. He may not have performed her first spine procedure, but she is quick to let you know he’ll perform all of them in the future, just as he has for the past fifteen-plus years. 

Complications from Neck Surgery

The relationship between Mabel and Dr. McCarthy started after she had neck surgery with a different orthopedic surgeon at a different practice. Complications from that procedure led her to research other physicians and straight into Dr. McCarthy’s office at the Bone and Joint Clinic of Baton Rouge. Through the course of his examination, Dr. McCarthy discovered that a loose screw from that first surgery was just a hairline away from rupturing her esophagus. Immediately, he sprang into action, setting her up for a second surgery that would help her avoid a dire medical complication. As Mabel, a self-proclaimed country girl puts it, “He jumped on it like a dog on a bone!”

Injections to Control Sciatica Pain

Following her successful neck surgery and positive experience with Dr. McCarthy, Mabel knew precisely where to go when other back pain issues later arose. This time, her pain stemmed from sciatica, a condition in which irritation or injury to the sciatic nerve leads to pain in the lower back, buttock, and leg. The degree of this pain can vary. For Mabel, the discomfort was severe and negatively impacted her quality of life.

To address her pain, Dr. McCarthy suggested epidural injections. Although the idea of a long needle in her back was frightening, Mabel trusted her doctor implicitly. 

“If I wasn’t at ease with my doctor, it would be hard to let them stick those needles in for the epidurals,” she says. “Anything could happen, but I go in there with complete trust in Dr. McCarthy. I know I’m going to come out feeling better.”

For the past five years, Mabel’s sciatica-related pain episodes have been well-controlled thanks to regular injections with Dr. McCarthy. For that, she is immensely grateful, not only do her physician, but to the staff who support him. Between Dr. McCarthy’s office team and the group of nurses at the Orthopedic Surgery Center where her injections are performed, Mabel has a robust team of medical professionals playing an integral role in her success. Still, there is just something special about the man who performed that neck surgery many years ago.

“Dr. McCarthy is wonderful,” Mabel raves. “He’s truly one-of-a-kind. He’s caring, compassionate, and he doesn’t just make me feel like another number. He will sit with me as long as he needs to answer all of my questions.”

While back pain and spine surgery are something every patient hopes to avoid, there is also the deep hope that if they find themselves in Mabel’s situation, they are also fortunate enough to find a Dr. McCarthy.