New Intracept relieves
“T
his is a story about technology and trust,” says Mimi Mann, a retired sign language interpreter. Over the past decade, Mimi’s chronic back pain had become so bad that even simple tasks were painful. “I would dread taking a shower,” she notes. “I couldn’t stand for longer than 15 minutes, and then I’d have to sit down in a recliner and stretch way out.” Grocery shopping was unbearable, and her husband, Jim, took over the task. Bending over even a little bit to dust was, “Really, really painful,” she says. Before she retired, Mimi worked in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Previously, she was a sign language interpreter for deaf Cornhusker football player Kenny Walker. After her retirement six years ago, Mimi says her back pain increased, and she
turned to physiatrist David Diamant, MD, of Neurological & Spinal Surgery, for help. “We tried a series of efforts to minimize pain, such as physical therapy, medications and lumbar facet blocks, but ultimately, nothing was effective,” Dr. Diamant says. Intracept is latest option While Mimi’s options seemed to be shrinking, Dr. Diamant began hearing more about a new procedure called Intracept. This is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that relieves pain by targeting the basivertebral nerve. Through small incisions, the doctor destroys the nerve within the vertebral body by using a probe with a heating element. Dr. Diamant was skeptical at first, “But when I looked at the data more carefully, it looked good.” Physicians use a questionnaire called the Oswestry Disability Index to measure the level
Dr. David Diamant introduced the Intracept procedure to Lincoln. Now patients such as Mimi Mann appreciate what it can do.
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Summer 2022
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