Marc A. Caragea, DO

Marc A. Caragea, DO, is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and a fellowship-trained subspecialist in Interventional spine and musculoskeletal pain management. As an interventional spine and musculoskeletal medicine doctor, Dr. Caragea utilizes many different types of non-operative interventional pain-management techniques with an emphasis on improving function and quality of life. His superior treatments include:

• Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spinal injections
• Sacroiliac joint injections
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Ultrasound-guided injections
• Kyphoplasty/vertebral augmentation
• Basivertebral nerve ablation
• PRP/Regenerative medicine
• Spinal cord stimulation
• Peripheral nerve stimulation
• Discography and intradiscal therapeutic procedures

Dr. Caragea graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. He received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, D.O., from the University of North Texas Health Science Center Fort Worth, TX. Additionally, Dr. Caragea completed his residency training in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Utah Health Salt Lake City, UT where he served as chief resident and also completed his fellowship training in Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine. Dr. Caragea has conducted extensive research, resulting in numerous scientific publications and national lectures to become a leading doctor in his field. He is also an active member of the Interventional Pain and Spine Intervention Society and the North American Spine Society where he serves on the evidence analysis and online content committees.

Professional Development

Professional Memberships
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
American Osteopathic Association
Interventional Pain and Spine Society
North American Spine Society

Committee Participation
Interventional Pain and Spine Society (IPSIS) Evidence Analysis Committee Member September 2021-present

North American Spine Society (NASS) Online Content Committee Member December 2020-present

Education and Training

Undergraduate
Texas A&M University College Station, TX
Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences Undergraduate Research Scholar
Cum Laude

Medical School
Medical School University of North Texas Health Science Center Fort Worth, TX
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, D.O.

Residency Training
Transitional Year Residency
USF Morsani College of Medicine GME: Blake Medical Center Bradenton, FL

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation University of Utah Health Salt Lake City, UT
Chief Resident

Fellowship Training
Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine
University of Utah Health Salt Lake City, UT

Research, Publications, and Lectures

Caragea M, Le A, Curtis T, et al (2023) Does medial branch radiofrequency neurotomy accelerate degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis compared to natural progression ? A cross-sectional cohort study. Interventional Pain Medicine, 2 (4),100289, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inpm.2023.100289

Miller S, Caragea M, Carson D, McFarland M, Teramoto M, Cushman D, Cooper A, Burnham T, McCormick Z, Conger A, The effectiveness of intradiscal corticosteroid injection for the treatment of chronic discovertebral low back pain: a systematic review, Pain Medicine, 2023; pnad127, https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnad127

Caragea M, Woodworth T, Curtis T, et al (2023) Genicular Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation for the Treatment of Chronic Knee Joint Pain: A Real-world Cohort Study with Evaluation of Prognostic Factors. Pain Med. https://doi.org/10.1093/PM/PNAD095

Eby S, Lider J, Teramoto M, Caragea M, Lash M Cushman D (2022). Sonographic peripheral nerve dimensions, excluding median and ulnar nerves: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Muscle Nerve. doi: 10.1002/mus.27783.

Levin J, Li W, Gall N, Chan J, Caragea M, Huynh L, Koltsov J, Smuck M (2022). Results of Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injections Based on the Physician Referral Source. Interventional Pain Medicine, 1 (3),100114.

Reisinger R, Caragea M, Teramoto M, Shipman H, Berry-Rieser D, Oli M, Kendall R, Burnham T, Conger A, McCormick Z (2022). The Association of Payer Type and Opioid Use on Functional Improvement at Short-Term Follow-up after Lumbosacral Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection: Results of a Large Registry Study. Interventional Pain Medicine, 1(2), 100073.

Burnham T, Clements N, Conger A, Kuo K, Lider J, Caragea M, Kendall R, Cunningham S, Meiling J, Teramoto M, McCormick Z (2022). A Comparisoin of the Effectiveness of Cervical Medial Branch Radiofrequency Ablation for Chronic Facet Joint Syndrome in Patients Selected by Two Common Medial Branch Block Paradigms. Interventional Pain Medicine, 1(2), 100091

Levin J, Chan J, Huynh L, Smuck M, Koltsov J, Kesikburun B, Wagner G, Caragea M, Kuo K, McCormick Z, Schneider B, Berlin E, Kennedy D, Kesikburun S (2021). Thoracic Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection for Management of Thoracic Spine Pain: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study of Short-Term Outcomes. Interventional Pain Medicine, 1(1), 100004.

Cushman DM, Carefoot A, Lisenby S, Caragea M, Fogg B, Conger A (2021). A Systematic Review of the Efficacy of Corticosteroid Injections of Tendon Sheaths, Excluding Stenosing Tenosynovitis of the Wrist and Hand. Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 100(7), 683-688.

Caragea M, Hernandez DA, Kirmse R, Hoenger A, Herrmann HH, Conover GM (2017). Influence of nebulin on the assembly mechanics of desmin intermediate filaments. Mol Biol Cell.

Caragea M, Hernandez DA, Dunina-Barkovskaya LV, Mucke N, Herrmann H, Conover GM (2012). Role of the pre-coil domain of desmin and its partnership with muscle proteins. Mol Biol Cell, 23.

Hernandez DA, Caragea M, Hord JM, Herrmann H, Conover GM (2012). Assembly perturbations in mutant desmin filaments bound to nebulin in desminopathy. Mol Biol Cell, 23.

Book Chapters:

William PF, Niacaris T, Caragea M, Lichtman DM (2017). Minimally Invasive Techniques for the Treatment of Kienbock’s Disease. In Lichtman DM, Gregory IB (Eds.), Kienbock’s Disease (pp. 169-174). Fort Worth, TX: Springer.

National Lectures:

Sacral Lateral Branch Radiofrequency Ablation for the Treatment of Chronic Sacroiliac Joint Complex Pain: A Real-world Cohort Study. Pacific Spine & Pain Society Annual Conference, Ko’Olina, O’Ahu, Hawai’I, 2023

Payer Type and Opioid Use Predict Lower Likelihood Functional Improvement at Short Term Follow-up after Epidural Steroid Injection: Results of a Large Registry Study. Pacific Spine Pain Society. Las Vegas. September 2021

Schedule an appointment with Hendersonville, NC pain-management specialist Dr. Marc A. Caragea if you suffer from back, spine, and/or musculoskeletal pain.