Desert Pain Specialists Cedar City named a Center of Excellence for cutting-edge Intracept procedure

Dr. Ryan Workman and Desert Pain Specialists receive the Intracept Center of Excellence designation, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 20, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Desert Pain Specialists in Cedar City has been recognized as a Center of Excellence for the Intracept procedure, a testament to their expertise and advanced capabilities in treating chronic low back pain. This prestigious designation highlights the clinic’s commitment to delivering top-notch care and innovative pain management solutions.

The Intracept Center of Excellence certificate presented to Dr. Ryan Workman and Desert Pain Specialists, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 20, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Desert Pain‘s Cedar City office, led by interventional pain management specialist Dr. Ryan Workman, received the designation from Intracept developers Boston Scientific and Relievant Medsystems on Tuesday, Aug. 20. Workman and his team, which includes advanced practice providers Daniel Corry, Hayden Worwood, Megan Shepherd and Joshua Williams, are dedicated to providing patients with effective, minimally invasive treatments designed to enhance quality of life and promote long-term relief from chronic back pain. 

“This doesn’t work without the staff, especially my PAs, who have embraced it as well,” Workman said. “They have done an amazing job of finding the patients and going to the effort to make sure that the addendums that need to be made are addended, that the reads are appropriate, that the patients have the right symptoms and then getting them in for the procedure, because that’s going to help make sure that the patients have relief.”

Desert Pain is the first clinic in Southern Utah, the fourth in the state and only the 19th nationwide to be named an Intracept Center of Excellence. The designation is provided to physicians who achieve a high level of training and experience with Intracept and demonstrate a commitment to maintaining proficiency in performing the procedure.

Intracept is used to treat low back pain that comes from the vertebra itself, often as a result of degenerative disc disease. Patients experiencing chronic (lasting for at least six months) pain that doesn’t respond to conservative care may be candidates. 

The procedure involves a minimally invasive technique in which a small probe is inserted through a tiny incision in the patient’s back and guided to the target area using imaging technology. This probe is used to deliver heat to the specific nerves that are causing the pain. By heating these nerves, physicians aim to reduce or stop pain signals before they’re sent to the brain.

Patient exam rooms within the Desert Pain Specialists office, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 20, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Intracept is an outpatient procedure typically performed in a surgery center or hospital with the use of either general anesthesia or conscious sedation. Patients may experience some soreness following the procedure, but recovery is usually quick. Many people notice pain relief beginning soon afterward.

The goal of Intracept is to provide long-term relief from back pain with a procedure that doesn’t require major surgery, therefore preserving the overall structure of the spine. Clinical evidence shows that most patients experience significant improvement in functionality and pain level three months after the procedure; results can last for over five years with a single treatment. The procedure has been cleared by the FDA and proven in multiple studies to be safe, effective and durable.

Dr. Ryan Workman and Desert Pain Specialists receive the Intracept Center of Excellence designation, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 20, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The specialists at Desert Pain are dedicated to helping patients find relief from a wide range of chronic and acute pain conditions using all available resources, including injections, nerve blocks, regenerative medicine, physical therapy, medications and surgery. Although it isn’t possible to get every patient completely out of pain, many experience significant improvement.

Offering unmatched quality of patient care, Desert Pain is headquartered within a state-of-the-art facility at the Riverfront Medical Center in St. George. And with 11 satellite locations throughout Southern Utah as well as Nevada’s Moapa Valley, they’re prepared to serve the needs of the area’s growing population. 

Visit desertpainspecialists.com to learn more about Intracept and other cutting-edge pain management solutions.

Cedar City News / St. George News reporter Jeff Richards contributed to this story.

Written by ALEXA MORGAN for St. George News.

• S P O N S O R E D   C O N T E N T • 

Resources

  • Desert Pain Specialists | Telephone: 435-216-7000 | Email: [email protected] | Website.
  • Locations:
    • St. George: 617 E. Riverside Drive, Suite 301.
    • Hurricane: 48 S. 2500 West, Suite 110.
    • Hildale: 1040 Utah Ave.
    • Cedar City: 1760 N. Main St., Suite 220.
    • Beaver: 68 N. Main St.
    • Panguitch: 200 N. 400 East.
    • Kanab: 348 N. 300 West.
    • Delta: 126 S. White Sage Ave.
    • Fillmore: 700 S. Highway 99, Suite 3.
    • Richfield: 1000 N. Main St., Suite C.
    • Mesquite, Nevada: 340 Falcon Ridge Parkway, Suite 603.
    • Overton, Nevada: 475 N. Moapa Valley Blvd.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

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