SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Thirty million people in the U.S. suffer from chronic low back pain – it’s pain that continues for more than six months. For many, the pain lasts years. When you’ve tried medication, steroid injections, and chiropractors, and nothing relieves your pain, often you’re left suffering and out of options. Now, there’s a new procedure that burns away back pain.
Andrea Beagle can push, pull, and twirl her grandkids Alice, Waylon, and Wesley now — but that wasn’t always the case.
“At my worst, I was combat crawling through my house without the use of my legs for two days,” she recalls.
Andrea tried it all, nothing helped, until she found Interventional Pain Specialist at Scripps Clinic in San Diego, Kevin “Buzz” Barrette, MD.
She was suffering from vertebrogenic back pain. A new procedure called basivertebral nerve ablation, or BVN, shuts off the pain signal from the spine to the brain.
Dr. Barrette says, “This is, really, one of the first great breakthroughs we’ve had from a back pain standpoint.”
An instrument is inserted into the vertebrae through a small incision in the back.
“This ablation actually burns the little nerve that supplies sensation to that specific area,” Dr. Barrette explains.
The procedure doesn’t structurally fix the problem, but it does help with the pain.
“This procedure changed everything for me,” Andrea says with relief.
Patients typically have a minimal recovery process at BVN ablation and can return to their normal activities almost immediately. Medicare covers the procedure, as well as most insurers.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Matt Goldschmidt, Videographer & Editor.
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MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TITLE: BURNING AWAY BACK PAIN
REPORT: MB #5365
BACKGROUND: Chronic back pain refers to persistent or recurrent pain in the lower, middle, or upper back that lasts for more than three months. It is a common condition that can significantly impact an individual’s quality of life, mobility, and daily activities. Nearly 16 million American adults experience chronic back pain in their lifetime. Chronic back pain can have various underlying causes, including: arthritis of the spine, spinal stenosis, disk problems, myofascial pain syndrome, or trauma or injury to the spine.
(Sources: https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/c/chronic-back-pain.html
Kevin “Buzz” Barrette, MD, Interventional Pain Specialist , Scripps Clinic Medical Group, San Diego, CA
DIAGNOSING: Symptoms of chronic back pain can vary widely among individuals but may include: dull, aching, or sharp pain in the back that persists for more than three months, pain that radiates to the buttocks, hips, or legs, stiffness, muscle spasms, or difficulty moving, numbness or tingling sensation in the legs or feet, and/or weakness or difficulty standing or walking. Diagnosis of chronic back pain typically involves a thorough medical history, physical examination, and imaging studies such as X-rays, MRI, or CT scans to identify any structural abnormalities or underlying conditions contributing to the pain.
(Source: https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/c/chronic-back-pain.html)
NEW TECHNOLOGY: Scripps Medical Group in San Diego, CA has developed a new way to treat patients with chronic back pain – it’s called basivertebral nerve ablation, or BVN. “This procedure creates a heat lesion on the nerve, which supplies sensation to the injured endplate – the basivertebral nerve – to block pain signals and provide long-lasting pain relief… This ablation procedure involves inserting the device into the bone of the vertebra (intraosseous) and targeting the area of the nerve where it begins to branch.”
(Source: https://www.spine-health.com/treatment/injections/basivertebral-nerve-ablation-lower-back-pain)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Stephen Carpowich
Carpowich.stephen@scrippshealth.org
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com
