ADVANCED SPINE AND PAIN BLOG
Intracept Procedure for Low Back Pain
What is the Intracept Procedure? The Intracept Procedure is a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure for patients with vertebrogenic low back pain. The procedure involves ablating a specific nerve within the vertebra called the basivertebral nerve and has been shown...
Muscle Pain vs Nerve Pain
What is muscle pain? Muscle pain is pain originating from the muscle tissue and related connective tissues. What is nerve pain? Nerve pain is pain originating from the brain or spinal cord (the central nervous system), or the peripheral nerves that branch off from the...
Original Medicare vs Medicare Advantage
Our patients have expressed a lot of confusion and frustration around Original Medicare vs Medicare Advantage Plans. Often times, we see procedures not being covered by Medicare Advantage Plans that would be covered by Original...
Chronic Pain and Medical Marijuana in Utah
Since Utah's medical marijuana (cannabis) program went live in early 2020, it shouldn't come as a surprise to lear that tens of thousands of patients in Utah have started using it. There are several qualifying medical conditions written into the law for which a...
Cervical Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) for Headaches
The facet joints of the spine in the neck can develop wear and tear changes with time and use. This is sometimes called "arthrosis" or "arthritis". The cartilage in the facet joints can wear thin and become rough, leading to decreased joint lubrication, increased...
Postherpetic Neuralgia
Postherpetic neuralgia is a severe chronic neuropathic pain that can linger after a shingles infection. Shingles is caused when the chicken pox virus (varicella zoster) reactivates. This virus lives dormant in nerve cells. When it becomes reactivated, it causes...
Utah’s Opioid Crisis | Fox 13 Interview
Click HERE to see Dr. Joyal's interview on Fox 13's The Place regarding Utah's opioid crisis.
Spinal Arthritis
The vertebral column is loaded with joints throughout the spine and provide contact points between each vertebra. These joints allow mobility of the spine. These joints are most commonly called facet joints or zygapophysial joints (z-joints). They are prone to...
Is Your Lower Back Pain Serious?
How do you know when your lower back pain is serious? Check out this article by Steven S. Hughes, MD of Spine Health. Image from Spine-health
Epidural Steroid Injections
Epidural steroid injections are among the most common procedures performed in pain clinics. It is a safe and effective procedure for several common causes of pain. The same principles discussed here also apply to the cervical and, less commonly, thoracic spine. This...