When to Consider Intracept® for Your Lower Back Pain

You’ve suffered from low back pain for the last six months (or longer). So far, the treatments you received failed to give you enough relief or only eased the pain temporarily.

Now imagine devoting one hour to a minimally invasive treatment that keeps you pain-free for years. You can look forward to that if you qualify for the Intracept® procedure.

As leaders in the pain management field, our Alliance Spine and Pain Centers team offers cutting-edge interventional treatments like Intracept that are backed by studies showing safety and effectiveness.

However, the Intracept procedure treats one specific cause of low back pain. Keep reading to learn when to consider this treatment and how it works.

When to consider Intracept

It’s time to consider Intracept if your low back discomfort is caused by vertebrogenic pain. This type of chronic pain occurs when endplates (structures between the vertebrae and discs) are injured or worn due to age-related degeneration.

Endplates are essential for maintaining a strong, healthy spine. They ease the stress on your spine and transport nutrients and fluids into the discs. They also protect vertebrae from damage.

As endplates degenerate, inflammation develops, damaged areas (lesions) appear, and chronic vertebrogenic pain develops.

Endplate pain occurs when the basivertebral nerve inside the vertebra sends pain messages to the brain. The Intracept procedure eases the pain by safely destroying the nerve.

Signs you’re a good candidate

Patients with endplate damage typically experience deep, aching, or burning pain in their lower back. The pain increases when they’re active and feels worse when they bend over, pick up objects, or sit for a long time.

You must meet the following criteria to qualify for the Intracept procedure:

1. Have chronic low back pain for six months or longer
2. Fail to get pain relief from conservative treatments (medications, injections, and physical therapy)
3. Have an MRI showing inflammatory changes (Modic changes) in the endplates.

Most people who meet the criteria can undergo the Intracept procedure. However, you may not qualify if you’re pregnant, have a spinal infection, or are diagnosed with severe heart or lung disease.

What to expect during an Intracept procedure

Intracept is a minimally invasive procedure performed in our fully accredited outpatient facility. We begin by giving you a sedative to help you relax and injecting a local anesthetic to numb the treatment site.

Using real-time imaging, we insert the specialized Intracept cannula (a long, slim device) through your skin, guide it into the vertebra, and create a channel inside the bone to the nerve.

For the next step, we insert a radiofrequency (RF) probe through the cannula, precisely placing it at the nerve. Then, we release RF energy, which heats and destroys the nerve (radiofrequency ablation). As a result, it can't send pain signals and you gain dramatic pain relief.

Intracept delivers long-lasting results

It takes two weeks to three months to achieve optimal pain relief, but the wait is worth it. Once your Intracept procedure takes hold, you can look forward to long-lasting results.

The results last at least five years for most people. More than one-third of patients were completely pain-free after five years, and 65% returned to the same activities they enjoyed before they were sidelined with low back pain.

Ready to learn if Intracept can ease your lower back pain?

Are you ready to finally overcome lower back pain and return to an active life? Request an evaluation online or call the nearest Alliance Spine and Pain Centers office today to learn more about Intracept and see if you qualify for the procedure.