Intracept Procedure

Back pain is common and destroys much or our lives. Often, we cannot work, or do the activities that we love or have issue with common household tasks. Sometime this is short lived, other times it lasts and lasts.

People seek treatment when the pain becomes significant and impacts some aspect of our lives. Management is often simple, however, remedying the problem can become devastating in and of itself.

When evaluating a patient, we try to determine the cause and design the easiest plan with the lowest risk.

A common cause of pain is from degeneration of bones, joints, muscle and/or discs. We treat each person differently based on the source of the pain.

A common cause of pain is degeneration of the bones of the back, the vertebrae. These bones make up the spine with discs in between the bones. Specifically the interface between the disc and the bone can have degeneration from everyday wear and tear. This leads to pain.

People describe this pain as low back pain made worse by bending, lifting, or other physical activities. Often prolonged sitting makes it worse.

When we see specific transformations on an MRI associated with the degenerative changes then a patient may be a candidate for the Intracept procedure.

This is a simple outpatient procedure. It involves blocking the nerves that go from the bones, where the pain is originating from, to the brain. To do this a needle is placed at the level of the nerve and applying energy, similar to a microwave. There is minimal risk with a high likelihood of success. Recent studies show great evidence of decreased pain and increased ability to return to the activities that we love to do, or need to do.

We encourage you to discuss with your doctor about this procedure and come in for an evaluation to see if you are a candidate. More information can be obtained at relievant.com.

Author

James Honet, MD James E. Honet, MD, is a highly qualified and board-certified anesthesiologist and pain management specialist at Neuro Pain Consultants in Bloomfield Hills, conveniently located in the northern suburbs of Detroit’s metropolitan area, and Clarkston, located in Oakland County in southeast Michigan. His special interests include spinal fractures, spinal stenosis, acute and chronic pain, complex regional pain syndromes, and joint pain. He is very interested in cutting edge therapies. Often he is sought out to provide the newest and most exciting treatments.