Dr. McCormick has dedicated significant research efforts to better understanding and treating chronic low back pain (CLBP) of various sources. He is currently the principle investigator for The Intracept Global Registry (TIGR) and chair of the TIGR Steering Committee. This research focuses on the treatment of CLBP believed to be due to the vertebral endplates, which can become chronically inflamed and/or fibrotic due to structural defects that lead to pathologic molecular signaling cascades between the intravertebral disc and the bone marrow of the vertebral body. Refractory pain can be treated by controlled, local radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the basivertebral nerve, the sensory nerve that transmits nociceptive signals from the vertebral endplate. He is also the principle investigator for two randomized controlled trials related to respectively stimulating and disrupting the spinal medial branch nerves in order to mitigate pain related to the spinal facet joints, most commonly related to osteoarthritis. Finally, Dr. McCormick has received a grant from the Skaggs Research Foundation to study the treatment of spinal nerve root pain due to spinal stenosis; this study compares the use of a sterile acellular amniotic fluid filtrate developed by the Ï㽶ÊÓƵ of Utah Cell Therapy and Regenerate Medicine Program, compared to standard care.
- Vertebral Endplate Pain
- Spinal Facet Joint and Osteoarthritis Pain
- Spinal Nerve Root Pain