Intracept Procedure: The only targeted way to relieve vertebrogenic chronic low back pain (CLBP).
Here’s the basics:
A Certain Nerve Is the Key
Vertebral endplates – found on either side of the disc – can become damaged over time, causing inflammation and back pain. The basivertebral nerve (BVN), found within the vertebrae, carries these back pain signals from the inflamed endplates to the brain.
The Intracept Procedure Can Relieve the Pain
The Intracept Procedure is a same-day procedure performed in an outpatient surgery center. Unlike some major surgeries, the Intracept Procedure is implant-free and preserves the overall structure of the spine. The Intracept Procedure involves heating the basivertebral nerve with a radiofrequency probe to stop it from sending pain signals to the brain. Patients are under anesthesia, and the procedure generally lasts an hour. Different from other nerves in the body that regenerate, the BVN has not shown an ability to grow back as a pain-transmitting nerve following the Intracept Procedure.
What to Expect After the Procedure
Following the procedure, the doctor may recommend some precautions to take – and after a brief recovery period, most people resume normal activities.