After surviving a car accident that knocked him unconscious, United States Navy veteran Michael Stramaglio, 72, was often reminded of that day by the debilitating back pain it left him with 13 years ago.

Stramaglio sought relief from epidurals and back surgery for years without pain relief. It was not until he met with Dr. Christine Haddad, an interventional pain doctor with Innovative Pain and Wellness in Scottsdale, Phoenix, Mesa and Deer Valley, who diagnosed him with a specific type of chronic low back pain and offered a solution, that he finally found lasting relief, according to a press release.

Haddad offered the Intracept Procedure, a breakthrough, minimally invasive and clinically proven treatment for chronic vertebrogenic low back pain.

Stramaglio underwent the Intracept Procedure and today, his back pain is completely gone. He is back to all the normal activities he loves. He even embarked on a motorcycle ride with friends from Scottsdale to Washington, D.C. to raise money for veterans and kids with cancer.

While Stramaglio’s pain was unique to him, he is not alone when it comes to the world of back pain. About 30 million people in the U.S. suffer from chronic low back pain, and one in six of those patients likely have vertebrogenic pain – a distinct type of chronic low back pain caused by damage to the vertebral endplates, the interface between the disc and the vertebral body, the release explained.

Physicians are able to identify vertebrogenic pain by using MRI scans to look for specific changes that occur with endplate inflammation, called Modic changes.

Vertebrogenic pain, up until recently, has not had a clear diagnosis or treatment. Patients often describe the pain as located in the middle of their low back and made worse by physical activity, prolonged sitting, and bending forward or with bending and lifting.

The Intracept Procedure is an outpatient procedure that targets a nerve located in the vertebrae called the basivertebral nerve, according to the release. Using a specialized probe, the physician harnesses radiofrequency energy to heat the BVN, rendering it unable to transmit pain signals to the brain.

Using a specialized probe, the physician harnesses radiofrequency energy to heat a nerve in the spine, rendering it unable to transmit pain signals to the brain.

Courtesy Relievant Medsystems

It generally takes an hour to perform the procedure and is implant free, preserving the overall structure of the spine. It is also the only FDA-cleared treatment for vertebrogenic pain and is supported by multiple clinical studies, the release stated.

Recovery time varies from patient to patient but most experience little post-procedure pain and generally quick recovery times. In fact, patients often start to feel pain relief within two weeks after the procedure.

“The Intracept Procedure is something I’m very passionate about and is close to my heart because I’ve seen dramatic improvement in patients — improvement that I have not been able to offer them with other procedures,” Dr. Haddad said in the release. “It’s been a game-changer.”