FirstHealth Interventional Pain first in the region to offer proven treatment for patients with chronic low back pain

PINEHURST — FirstHealth Interventional Pain Medicine is the first in the Sandhills region to offer an innovative approach to provide relief for patients suffering from a distinct type of chronic low back pain 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.

During the procedure, James Winkley, M.D., board certified anesthesiologist and pain medicine physician with FirstHealth Interventional Pain Medicine, 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.

“With the Intracept Procedure, we are entering a new and promising era in the treatment and diagnosis of vertebrogenic pain,” said Dr. Winkley. “Not only is the procedure proven to be safe and durable 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, 1 in 6 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.

In order to qualify for the Intracept Procedure, patients must have chronic low back pain of at least six months duration, have not responded to at least six months of conservative care, and present with degenerative vertebral endplate changes consistent with Type 1 or Type 2 Modic changes at L3 through S1 on an MRI.

To learn more about the Intracept Procedure, call FirstHealth Interventional Pain Medicine at 910-715-1794 or visit FirstHealth.org/Pain to request an appointment.