Procedure to ease back pain “freakin’ amazing!’
Joanne Grace, 56, of East Sandwich has been plagued with low back pain for most of her life and cannot contain her excitement when she talks about the success of a new procedure she had done in February.
“It is simply freakin’ amazing,” she said. “Three days after the procedure, I was pain free.”
The procedure that changed Grace’s life is called Intracept and was performed at Cape Cod Hospital by Hyannis Neurosurgeon Paul Houle, MD, FAANS. She has gained pain-free function in ways she never expected, such as walking more easily, getting up out of a chair without great effort and forethought, and she can clean her house because it is easier to bend.
“I would have sharp, jabbing pains, which is why my doctor advised me to walk with purpose,” said Grace. “I would put my foot down and made sure I knew I was putting it down, because a lot of times I couldn’t feel it. I had fallen so many times in public on flat surfaces.
“It was hard to get up out of a chair and walk, and I would moan and groan attempting to do it. Now I just get up and walk.”
Intracept is a new surgical procedure designed to treat the pain caused by irritation of the basivertebral nerve as a result of stress-induced degeneration of the disc, according to Dr. Houle. “It is a very minimally invasive procedure that takes less than an hour to perform and is done as an outpatient, and you can go home the same day.”
The procedure involves inserting a small probe into the portion of the vertebrae where the nerve fibers are located. The tip of the probe is heated with radio frequency waves to a specific temperature for a specific amount of time, which destroys the nerve.
“The important part of this procedure is that the nerve is within the vertebrae, not the disc,” said Dr. Houle. “For so long, we’ve been focusing on the disc as the generator of pain, and by fusing the disc, we assumed patients would get better. That didn’t always turn out to be the case.”
Multiple studies have demonstrated significant pain relief for up to five years after the Intracept procedure, he said. “Pain relief is not immediate because there is some inflammation following the procedure, so it takes a couple of weeks for the pain to go away,” he said.
Preparing For The Procedure
Grace is no newcomer to the surgeries offered to relieve back pain, which is a result of degenerative disc disease. Her first operation was in 1997, followed by four more over the years that included a total discectomy twice, a partial discectomy, fusion in her back, and a spinal cord stimulator implanted and removed.
The low back pain continued and left her with no more than one day a month without pain.
Her journey with Intracept began with a consultation with Dr. Houle. Her insurance company gave their approval last fall, and she began six weeks of physical therapy to strengthen her muscles in preparation for the Intracept procedure.
“I went to the hospital at the crack of dawn on the day of my procedure,” said Grace. “I mentally prepared myself that this could be amazing, or it could do nothing. I told myself, it was going to be fine.”
As it turned out, it was more than fine, she said.
“This procedure blew my expectations out of the water!” said Grace. “I was wondering if it was real. When I started to back off the pain medication after day three, I thought something was wrong because I didn’t feel any pain.”
Unable to work since 2016 because of the pain and lack of mobility, Grace is now considering getting a part time job this summer.
“I’ve never been on the cutting edge of things. To be able to share my story is amazing because it brings hope to other people. This may be one more thing I can do, and I am glad to help.”
