After Years of Suffering, Innovative Spine Procedure Relieves Young Mom’s Unrelenting Back Pain

BYLINE: Robin Frank

Newswise — After years of disabling back pain, a young New Jersey mom finally got her life back thanks to an innovative nonsurgical procedure called basivertebral nerve ablation at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). Also known as BVN ablation or the Intracept procedure, the treatment applies heat to disrupt a specific spinal nerve that is transmitting pain signals to the brain.     

Thirty-two-year-old Rosie Amoroso had suffered from low back pain for years, but it got progressively worse after giving birth three years ago. She says the pain became so severe, she often found it impossible to sleep. “My back would be so bad, I couldn’t pick up my son. I couldn’t do basic things around the house, and I was putting a lot of pressure on my husband. He was very supportive but had a long commute to New York City for work every day.” Desperate for relief, Rosie consulted with nine different doctors in New Jersey, tried physical therapy and medication, received numerous epidural spinal injections, and underwent repeated radiofrequency ablation procedures. Nothing helped.

The unrelenting pain wasn’t her only challenge. While seeking care, Rosie says she dealt with doctors who made her feel “very dismissed,” suffered through uncomfortable procedures that provided no relief, and spent thousands of dollars in insurance co-payments. Still, she refused to give up hope. “I was ready to do anything to eliminate the pain, even if it meant spine surgery,” she recalls. At that point, she made an appointment at HSS in Manhattan. Her father had undergone major surgery there with excellent results.

Rosie made the two-hour trip from her home in Hazlet, New Jersey, to HSS to consult with a leading spine surgeon. After reviewing her medical history and examining her, he referred her to Edward S. Yoon, MD, chief of the division of interventional radiology at HSS.

Dr. Yoon determined that Rosie was a candidate for BVN ablation and performed the procedure in May 2025. The treatment has changed her life. She is now pain-free and deeply grateful to Dr. Yoon, not only for relieving her suffering but also for demonstrating exceptional compassion and understanding. “I felt like he went above and beyond, like he really cared about me,” she recalls.

Basivertebral Nerve Ablation

A minimally invasive nonsurgical procedure, BVN ablation uses radiofrequency energy to ablate—or shut down—the basivertebral nerve in the spine to prevent it from sending pain signals to the brain.

“BVN ablation is a targeted treatment for a specific type of chronic lower back pain called vertebrogenic pain, which results from damage to vertebral endplates. A vertebral endplate is the interface between the spinal disc and the bony portion of a spine vertebra,” Dr. Yoon explains. “Microfractures or other damage to a vertebral endplate leads to inflammation, which causes the adjacent basivertebral nerves to transmit pain signals to the brain.”

Patients who find relief with BVN ablation often describe pain in the middle of their lower back that is made worse by physical activity, prolonged sitting, bending forward, or when bending down and lifting objects, Dr. Yoon explains.

To accurately diagnose vertebrogenic pain and confirm that a patient is a candidate for BVN ablation, doctors look for specific changes on a patient’s MRI, known as Modic changes, that occur with vertebral endplate inflammation.

Dr. Yoon notes that basivertebral nerve ablation is not useful for treating low back pain caused by conditions that have not affected the endplates, such as a herniated disc.

Delighted with her remarkable recovery, Rosie expresses immense gratitude for regaining her quality of life since having the procedure. “Before the treatment, I barely slept two hours a night. Now I can sleep through the night,” she says. “I can pick up my son, take him to the jungle gym, go down the slide with him. It’s a big deal.” To add to her happiness, Rosie recently learned that she and her husband are expecting their second child.

BVN ablation is an outpatient treatment often covered by insurance plans. For more information, visit: https://www.hss.edu/health-library/conditions-and-treatments/intracept-procedure-basivertebral-nerve-ablation

About HSS

HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 16th consecutive year), No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2025-2026), and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in NY, NJ and CT by U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” list (2025-2026). In a survey of medical professionals in more than 20 countries by Newsweek, HSS is ranked world #1 in orthopedics for a fifth consecutive year (2025). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection and complication rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. In addition, more than 200 HSS clinical investigators are working to improve patient outcomes through better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat orthopedic, rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 165 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.