Dr. Anuj Shah, Chief Operating Officer Angie Christian, and Chief Nursing Officer Stephanie McDougal join the BMH Department of Surgery team to mark the hospital’s first mild and Intracept procedures.
Dr. Anuj Shah of The Spine and Nerve Centers of the Virginias brings two minimally invasive back pain treatments to Madison
Madison, W.Va. – Boone Memorial Health (BMH) is pleased to announce that Anuj Shah, DO, performed the hospital’s first mild® and Intracept™ procedures on October 8, 2026. Patients across southern West Virginia with chronic low back pain can now receive both treatments close to home.
The mild procedure (minimally invasive lumbar decompression) treats lumbar spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on the nerves of the lower back. Working through a small incision, Dr. Shah removes part of the thickened ligament pressing on the spinal nerves. Nothing is implanted, most patients don’t need general anesthesia, and patients usually go home the same day.
The Intracept procedure treats vertebrogenic low back pain, which starts in the vertebral endplates (the top and bottom surfaces of the bones in the spine). A targeted ablation of the basivertebral nerve interrupts the pain signals that nerve carries. Intracept leaves no implant and is done in a single procedure.
“Many of the patients I see have lived with back pain for years and have already tried medication, physical therapy, and injections,” said Dr. Shah. “Procedures like mild and Intracept give those patients another option, and both treat the source of the pain without leaving an implant behind. I’m proud to work alongside the BMH Surgery Department team to provide these important interventions.”
“Our patients shouldn’t have to leave the community to receive advanced spine and pain care,” said Angie Christian, Chief Operating Officer at Boone Memorial Health. “These first cases reflect a lot of preparation by our surgical team and our partners at The Spine and Nerve Centers of the Virginias. Expanding what we can offer in our own operating rooms is part of how we keep Bringing Medicine Home.”
Dr. Shah also offers these advanced pain procedures at Boone Memorial Health:
- ReActiv8®: restorative neurostimulation for chronic mechanical low back pain caused by dysfunction of the multifidus muscle, which helps stabilize the lower spine
- SPRINT® PNS: temporary peripheral nerve stimulation for nerve pain, with the lead removed after treatment
- Minuteman®: minimally invasive spinal stabilization and fusion through a small incision
- Liberty SI and panaSIa™: minimally invasive fusion options for sacroiliac (SI) joint pain
- Spinal cord stimulation: an implanted device that sends low-level electrical pulses to the spinal cord to block pain signals, most often for chronic back and leg pain, with a short trial before a permanent implant
- DRG stimulation: targeted stimulation of the dorsal root ganglion, a cluster of nerve cells along the spine, for chronic pain in a specific area such as the foot, knee, or groin, including complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
Dr. Shah is an interventional pain management physician with The Spine and Nerve Centers of the Virginias, which works with BMH to provide pain management services at Boone Memorial Health. He earned his medical degree from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, completed a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Detroit Medical Center, and completed a fellowship in pain medicine at Weill Cornell.
If back, leg, or SI joint pain hasn’t improved with medication, therapy, or injections, one of these procedures may help. No referral from a primary care provider is needed. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Shah, call 304-369-1230. Procedures are performed at BMH Surgical Services on the hospital’s main campus at 701 Madison Avenue in Madison.
To learn more about pain management services at Boone Memorial Health, click here.
