The U.S. has developed technology to treat chronic back pain by blocking the pain signal with heat.The basivertebral nerve, which runs between the vertebrae, plays a key role in the sensation of chronic pain. Researchers found that heating the nerve with radiofrequency reduces its sensitivity and prevents it from transmitting pain signals to the brain. The patient is medicated to sleep, and the entire procedure takes about an hour.Intracept technology received FDA approval back in 2016 and has shown promising results in a series of clinical trials, according to Southwestern Texas A&M University. In a study involving 48 patients, 69% of them reported a 50% reduction in pain, and 38% of them reported complete disappearance of pain one year after the procedure.In another study, 34% of patients had no return of pain after five years. The authors of the development noted that the basivertebral nerve differs from other nerves in that it does not show the ability to regenerate its ability to transmit pain signals, which explains the low recurrence rate.The University of Texas Medical Center has already begun treating patients with the new technology in early 2022.
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