Chronic low back pain can steal precious moments, such as spontaneous road trips, special hugs, and long-lost workout routines. While over-the-counter pain medications, heat, or massage therapy can offer temporary relief, what do you do when these regular tricks aren’t working?

Dr. Derek Frieden, completed his fellowship training in interventional pain management at Harvard Medical Center. His advanced training enables him to find solutions to complex pain problems.

For over fifteen years, Dr. Frieden has treated locals in St. George, Utah, including busy moms, weekend hikers, and retired seniors, all forced to slow down their lives due to low back nerve pain. Determined to find a better treatment protocol for chronic low back pain, he discovered Intracept after extensive research.

“It’s certainly exciting for us and a great alternative for patients,” said Dr. Frieden, a pain management specialist at Southwest Spine & Pain. “With the clinical data we have and how minimally invasive the procedure is, it’s a great option for many of our patients with ongoing low back pain.”

Previously, this type of pain was thought to originate within the spinal discs. Recently, it has been shown to stem from vertebral end plates and is transmitted via the basivertebral nerve. “If we ablate those nerves, we can provide greater than 75 percent pain relief for up to and beyond five years,” Dr. Frieden added.

The Intracept procedure is a minimally invasive approach clinically proven to relieve chronic low back pain. Only a handful of medical professionals nationwide are certified to perform the Intracept procedure, and Dr. Frieden leads the way in offering this innovative treatment in Southern Utah.

“Intracept is a relatively painless treatment,” Dr. Frieden explained. During the procedure, the physician makes a small incision to insert a probe into the vertebral body. The probe uses radiofrequency ablation to create a heat lesion on the nerve tissue bundle, effectively blocking pain signals from reaching the spinal cord. These nerves do not regenerate, allowing Intracept to deliver long-term results.

Intracept Procedure Quick Facts:

• Minimally invasive

• Long-term pain relief

• Preserves overall spine structure

• Same-day procedure

• Brief recovery

• Treatment is available at several Vista Healthcare Surgical Centers in Utah.

Southwest Spine and Pain, a locally owned and experienced team of pain management specialists, provides world-class pain care. They operate multiple health centers throughout Utah, offering acute and chronic pain management services, including injections, Intracept, epidurals, radiofrequency ablations, nerve blocks, spinal cord stimulation, regenerative medicine, physical therapy, and rehabilitation. All physicians have completed fellowship training and board certification in the treatment of acute and chronic pain.

Provider Highlight

Derek Frieden, M.D., completed his fellowship training in interventional pain management at Harvard Medical Center. He has lived and practiced in Southern and Central Utah since 2005 and previously served as the Director of Spine and Pain Medicine at Dixie Regional Medical Center. In addition to being a dedicated clinical research investigator, Dr. Frieden specializes in the evaluation and treatment of painful spinal conditions and multiple painful disorders, utilizing the latest technologies, including image-guided, minimally invasive procedures.

Same day appointments are usually available. Call the clinic nearest you to make an appointment.

Southwest Spine & Pain Center: 652 South Medical Center Drive, Suite 110 | 435-656-2424 |  www.southwestspineandpain.com.

Other locations:

• St. George–Red Hills: 301 North 200 East, Suite 2A | 435-688-7246

• St. George –Rheumatology Division: 1490 East Foremaster Drive, Suite  220 | 435-879-7610

• Hurricane: 25 North 2000 West, Suite 8 | 435-635-0174

• Cedar City: 1303 North Main Street | 435-586-2229