Mercy Medical Center Offers Innovative Treatment for Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain
SPRINGFIELD — Mercy Medical Center announced it is the first hospital in Springfield to offer an innovative approach to provide relief for patients suffering from a specific type of chronic low back pain (CLBP) called vertebrogenic pain.
The treatment is the Intracept procedure, a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure that targets a nerve located in the vertebrae called the basivertebral nerve (BVN). During the procedure, the surgeon advances a specialized probe into the vertebrae and uses radiofrequency energy to heat the BVN, rendering it unable to transmit pain signals to the brain. The Intracept procedure generally takes an hour to perform and is implant-free, preserving the overall structure of the spine.
The Intracept procedure is supported by multiple clinical studies, including two level-1 randomized controlled trials and five-year data on patient outcomes. Key findings include long-term improvements in pain and function sustained more than five years, sustained decrease in patients using opioids and injections long-term, nearly 80% of patients indicating they would have the procedure again for the same condition, and less than 0.3% rate of serious Intracept procedure-related complications reported.
“Mercy Medical Center is committed to providing our patients with safe, high-quality care that often includes the use of the latest technology and surgical techniques,” said Dr. Asha Dhamija, chief medical officer for Mercy Medical Center and Johnson Memorial Hospital. “The Intracept procedure not only targets the safe treatment and diagnosis of vertebrogenic pain, but it also provides patients with the opportunity to get back to living without the burden of chronic low back pain.”
Of the 30 million people in the U.S. with chronic low back pain, one in six are likely to have vertebrogenic pain, a distinct type of CLBP caused by damage to vertebral endplates, the interface between the disc and the vertebral body. Disc degeneration, and the wear and tear that occurs with everyday living, produces stresses on the endplates that damage them, leading to inflammation and vertebrogenic pain.
The indicated patient for the Intracept procedure has chronic low back pain of at least six months duration, has not responded to at least six months of conservative care, and presents with degenerative vertebral endplate changes consistent with type-1 or type-2 modic changes at L3 through S1 on an MRI.
Springfield-area residents interested in learning more about the Intracept procedure can visit trinityhealthofne.org/ortho or call (413) 785-1153.