Intracept

What is the Intracept procedure?

The Intracept procedure is a minimally invasive treatment for vertebrogenic pain. That type of back pain occurs when you have inflammation and damage to the nerve inside the vertebral bone — called the basivertebral nerve.

During the procedure, the pain management experts at Advanced Spine and Pain Center ablate (heat and destroy) the nerve using radiofrequency energy, stopping the transmission of pain signals. 

The Intracept procedure relieves back pain without devices or implants.

Am I a candidate for the Intracept procedure?

The board-certified physicians at Advanced Spine and Pain Center determine if you’re a candidate for the Intracept procedure after a consultation. You must meet a specific set of criteria to qualify for this procedure. Candidates for the Intracept procedure:

• Have chronic mid to lower back pain for six or more months
• Fail to get significant pain relief from conservative treatments
• Have an MRI that shows bone marrow lesions in the vertebral endplates

Vertebrogenic pain occurs when you have deterioration of vertebral endplates — where the vertebral bone and intervertebral discs meet — and nerve damage. Advanced Spine and Pain Center performs an MRI to determine if the vertebral endplates are the source of your pain.

If the MRI shows you have bone marrow lesions (modic changes), you have swelling and inflammation that irritates the nerve in the vertebrae.

What happens during the Intracept procedure?

Your provider at Advanced Spine and Pain Center reviews the details of the Intracept procedure at your consultation. First, they administer a sedative that helps you relax and inject a local anesthetic to numb the site of your procedure.

Using X-ray-guided imaging, your provider inserts and advances the Intracept Introducer Cannula Assembly to the base of the vertebral bone, creating a channel to the nerve. Then, they insert the Intracept RF Probe into the channel and use the Intracept RF Generator to ablate the nerve.

The procedure takes about an hour.

What happens after the Intracept procedure?

After a short recovery period at home, you can resume most of your usual activities following the Intracept procedure. However, your Advanced Spine and Pain Center provider may recommend avoiding heavy lifting and strenuous exercise for a few days.

You may experience significant improvements in your pain about two to four weeks after the procedure. Pain relief from the Intracept procedure is usually long-term.

Call Advanced Spine and Pain Center to schedule or book your Intracept procedure consultation online today.