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Aaron Conger
( out of 19 reviews )

Aaron Conger, DO

Languages spoken: English

Clinical Locations

  • Aaron Conger, DO is an assistant professor and Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine provider at the University of Utah in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He received his DO at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Washington State and completed a residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and then a fellowship in Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.

    Dr. Conger’s clinical interests include treatment of spine and musculoskeletal pain conditions including osteoporotic compression fractures, arthritis of the spine, disc herniation, spinal stenosis, zygapophyseal joint pain, vertebrogenic pain, sacroiliac joint pain, and other degenerative conditions of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. He offers advanced pain treatments including Kyphoplasty, Spinal Cord Stimulation, Peripheral Nerve Stimulation and Basivertebral Nerve Ablation (Intracept). He works in close collaboration with orthopedic and neurosurgical spine specialists as well as physical therapists to provide comprehensive spine and musculoskeletal care.

    He is involved in the design and execution of multiple clinical trials at the University of Utah, all with the overarching goal of improving interventional treatments for patients with painful spine and other musculoskeletal conditions. Dr. Conger serves as Chair of the Spine Intervention Society's Evidence Analysis Committee and on the editorial boards of Pain Medicine (Journal) and Interventional Pain Medicine (Journal). He has published over 70 peer-reviewed abstracts and journal articles. He also serves as the co-director of the NASS Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine Fellowship at the University of Utah.

    Board Certification

    American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
    National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners

    Patient Rating

    5.0 /5
    ( out of 19 reviews )

    The patient rating score is an average of all responses on our patient experience survey. The rating averages scores for all questions about care from our providers.

    The scale on which responses are measured is 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.

    Patient Comments

    Patient comments are gathered from our patient experience survey and displayed in their entirety.
    Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.

    July 01, 2023
    SOUTH JORDAN HEALTH CENTER

    Dr Conger is awesome. He listens and is good about explaining what is going on. He had great knowledge and Im so happy he does a nerve ablation which helped my back and leg pain. Hes very nice and caring

    April 15, 2023
    SOUTH JORDAN HEALTH CENTER

    Excellent!!

    April 13, 2023
    SOUTH JORDAN HEALTH CENTER

    He has paid attention to what my problem is and his staff took care of the proceedures.

    January 23, 2023
    SOUTH JORDAN HEALTH CENTER

    helpful and very professional

    December 29, 2022
    SOUTH JORDAN HEALTH CENTER

    Aaron seems to care about your help

    December 05, 2022
    SOUTH JORDAN HEALTH CENTER

    Answer my questions and discuss treatment options

    December 05, 2022
    SOUTH JORDAN HEALTH CENTER

    Answer my questions and discuss treatment options

    November 28, 2022
    South Jordan Health Center

    I can't praise Dr. Conger and his staff enough. Every single person I saw that day was kind, competent, knowledgeable, and made me feel that I was in good hands. I put my faith and trust completely in Dr. Conger

    November 25, 2022
    South Jordan Health Center

    All the Doctors and assistants were awesome! Thanks !

  • Aaron Conger, DO is an assistant professor and Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine provider at the University of Utah in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He received his DO at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Washington State and completed a residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and then a fellowship in Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.

    Dr. Conger’s clinical interests include treatment of spine and musculoskeletal pain conditions including osteoporotic compression fractures, arthritis of the spine, disc herniation, spinal stenosis, zygapophyseal joint pain, vertebrogenic pain, sacroiliac joint pain, and other degenerative conditions of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. He offers advanced pain treatments including Kyphoplasty, Spinal Cord Stimulation, Peripheral Nerve Stimulation and Basivertebral Nerve Ablation (Intracept). He works in close collaboration with orthopedic and neurosurgical spine specialists as well as physical therapists to provide comprehensive spine and musculoskeletal care.

    He is involved in the design and execution of multiple clinical trials at the University of Utah, all with the overarching goal of improving interventional treatments for patients with painful spine and other musculoskeletal conditions. Dr. Conger serves as Chair of the Spine Intervention Society's Evidence Analysis Committee and on the editorial boards of Pain Medicine (Journal) and Interventional Pain Medicine (Journal). He has published over 70 peer-reviewed abstracts and journal articles. He also serves as the co-director of the NASS Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine Fellowship at the University of Utah.

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Pharmacotherapy -Primary
    Board Certification
    American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
    National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners

    Education history

    Fellowship Interventional Spine - University of Utah School of Medicine Fellow
    Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation - University of Utah School of Medicine Education Chief Resident
    Residency Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation - University of Utah School of Medicine Resident
    Internal Medicine - Spokane Teaching Health Center Transitional Internship
    Professional Medical Osteopathic Medicine - Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences D.O.
    Health Sciences - Corban University B.S.

    Selected Publications

    Journal Article

    1. Miller S, Caragea M, Carson D, McFarland MM, Teramoto M, Cushman DM, Cooper AN, Burnham T, McCormick ZL, Conger A (2023). The Effectiveness of Intradiscal Corticosteroid Injection for the Treatment of Chronic Discovertebral Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review. Pain Med. (Read full article)
    2. McCormick ZL, Conger A, Kendall R, Wagner G, Henrie AM, Littell M, Sperry BP, Petersen R, Cooper AN, Teramoto M, Burnham TR (2023). A Pragmatic Randomized Prospective Trial of Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation of the Medial Branch Nerves versus Facet Joint Injection of Corticosteroid for the Treatment of Lumbar Facet Syndrome: 12 Month Outcomes. Pain Med, 24(12), 1318-1331. (Read full article)
    3. Caragea M, Woodworth T, Curtis T, Blatt M, Cheney C, Brown T, Carson D, Kuo KT, Randall D, Huang EY, Carefoot A, Teramoto M, Mills M, Cooper A, Burnham T, Conger A, McCormick ZL (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. (Read full article)
    4. Beckwith M, Cushman D, Clark T, Park PK, Burnham T, Burnham R, McCormick ZL, Conger A (2022). Radiofrequency Ablation of the Infrapatellar Branch of the Saphenous Nerve for the Treatment of Chronic Anterior Inferomedial Knee Pain. Pain Med, 24(2), 150-157. (Read full article)
    5. McCormick ZL, Conger A, Smuck M, Lotz JC, Hirsch JA, Hickman C, Harper K, Burnham TR (2022). Magnetic Resonance Imaging Characteristics Associated with Treatment Success from Basivertebral Nerve Ablation: An Aggregated Cohort Study of Multicenter Prospective Clinical Trials Data. Pain Med, 23(Suppl 2), S34-S49. (Read full article)
    6. Conger A, Burnham TR, Clark T, Teramoto M, McCormick ZL (2022). The Effectiveness of Intraosseous Basivertebral Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation for the Treatment of Vertebrogenic Low Back Pain: An Updated Systematic Review with Single-Arm Meta-analysis. Pain Med, 23(Suppl 2), S50-S62. (Read full article)
    7. McCormick ZL, Sperry BP, Boody BS, Hirsch JA, Conger A, Harper K, Lotz JC, Burnham TR (2022). Pain Location and Exacerbating Activities Associated with Treatment Success Following Basivertebral Nerve Ablation: An Aggregated Cohort Study of Multicenter Prospective Clinical Trial Data. Pain Med, 23(Suppl 2), S14-S33. (Read full article)
    8. Conger A, Duszynski B, McCormick ZL (2022). Management of Chronic Low Back Pain. JAMA Intern Med, 182(6), 687. (Read full article)
    9. Fogarty AE, Burnham T, Kuo K, Tate Q, Sperry BP, Cheney C, Walega DR, Kohan L, Cohen SP, Cushman DM, McCormick ZL, Conger A (2021). The Effectiveness of Fluoroscopically Guided Genicular Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation for the Treatment of Chronic Knee Pain Due to Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review. Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 101(5), 482-492. (Read full article)
    10. Tate Q, Meiling JB, Burnham TR, Conger A, McCormick ZL (2021). A Pilot Study of an Expanded Genicular Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation Protocol for the Treatment of Chronic Knee Pain. Pain Med, 23(3), 599-602. (Read full article)
    11. Conger A, Kendall RW, Sperry BP, Petersen R, Salazar F, Cunningham S, Henrie AM, Bisson EF, Teramoto M, McCormick ZL (2021). One-year results from a randomized comparative trial of targeted steroid injection via epidural catheter versus standard transforaminal epidural injection for the treatment of unilateral cervical radicular pain. Reg Anesth Pain Med, 46(9), 813-819. (Read full article)
    12. McCormick ZL, Conger A (2021). Response to: Commentary on the Article "A Randomized Comparative Trial of Targeted Steroid Injection via Epidural Catheter vs Standard Transforaminal Epidural Injection for the Treatment of Unilateral Cervical Radicular Pain: Six-Month Results" by McCormick et al. Pain Med. (Read full article)
    13. McCormick ZL, Patel J, Conger A, Smith CC, Spine Intervention Societys Patient Safety Committee (2021). The Safety of Genicular Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation. Pain Med, 22(2), 518-519. (Read full article)
    14. Conger A, Schuster NM, Cheng DS, Sperry BP, Joshi AB, Haring RS, Duszynski B, McCormick ZL (2021). The Effectiveness of Intraosseous Basivertebral Nerve Radiofrequency Neurotomy for the Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain in Patients with Modic Changes: A Systematic Review. Pain Med, 22(5), 1039-1054. (Read full article)
    15. Joyce AA, Conger A, McCormick ZL, Kendall RW, Wagner G, Teramoto M, Cushman DM (2020). Changes in Interventional Pain Physician Decision-Making, Practice Patterns, and Mental Health During the Early Phase of the SARS-CoV-2 Global Pandemic. Pain Med, 21(12), 3585-3595. (Read full article)
    16. Koshi E, Cheney CW, Sperry BP, Conger A, McCormick ZL (2020). Genicular Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation for Chronic Knee Pain Using a Three-Tined Electrode: A Technical Description and Case Series. Pain Med, 21(12), 3344-3349. (Read full article)
    17. Conger A, Sperry BP, Cheney CW, Kuo K, Petersen R, Randall D, Salazar F, Cunningham S, Henrie AM, Bisson E, Kendall R, Teramoto M, McCormick ZL (2020). Does the Contrast Dispersion Pattern During Fluoroscopically Guided Cervical Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection Predict Short-Term Pain and Functional Outcomes? An Exploratory Analysis of Prospective Cohort Data. Pain Med, 21(12), 3350-3359. (Read full article)
    18. Conger A, Sperry BP, Cheney CW, Burnham TM, Mahan MA, Onofrei LV, Cushman DM, Wagner GE, Shipman H, Teramoto M, McCormick ZL (2020). The Effectiveness of Spinal Cord Stimulation for the Treatment of Axial Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review with Narrative Synthesis. Pain Med, 21(11), 2699-2712. (Read full article)
    19. Cushman DM, Carefoot A, Lisenby S, Caragea M, Fogg B, Conger A (2020). 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. (Read full article)
    20. Burnham T, Conger A, Salazar F, Petersen R, Kendall R, Cunningham S, Teramoto M, McCormick ZL (2020). The Effectiveness of Cervical Medial Branch Radiofrequency Ablation for Chronic Facet Joint Syndrome in Patients Selected by a Practical Medial Branch Block Paradigm. Pain Med, 21(10), 2071-2076. (Read full article)
    21. Burnham T, Sampson J, Speckman RA, Conger A, Cushman DM, McCormick ZL (2020). The Effectiveness of Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection for the Treatment of Suspected Sacroiliac Joint Complex Pain; a Systematic Review. Pain Med, 21(10), 2518-2528. (Read full article)
    22. McCormick ZL, Conger A, Sperry BP, Teramoto M, Petersen R, Salazar F, Cunningham S, Michael Henrie A, Bisson E, Kendall R (2020). A Randomized Comparative Trial of Targeted Steroid Injection via Epidural Catheter vs Standard Transforaminal Epidural Injection for the Treatment of Unilateral Cervical Radicular Pain: Six-Month Results. Pain Med, 21(10), 2077-2089. (Read full article)
    23. Sperry BP, Conger A, Kohan L, Walega DR, Cohen SP, McCormick ZL (2020). A Proposed Protocol for Safe Radiofrequency Ablation of the Recurrent Fibular Nerve for the Treatment of Chronic Anterior Inferolateral Knee Pain. Pain Med, 22(5), 1237-1241. (Read full article)
    24. Gatson NTN, Bross SP, Odia Y, Mongelluzzo GJ, Hu Y, Lockard L, Manikowski JJ, Mahadevan A, Kazmi SAJ, Lacroix M, Conger AR, Vadakara J, Nayak L, Chi TL, Mehta MP, Puduvalli VK (2020). Early imaging marker of progressing glioblastoma: a window of opportunity. J Neurooncol, 148(3), 629-640. (Read full article)
    25. Schoutens C, Cushman DM, McCormick ZL, Conger A, van Royen BJ, Spiker WR (2019). Outcomes of Nonsurgical Treatments for Symptomatic Adult Degenerative Scoliosis: A Systematic Review. Pain Med, 21(6), 1263-1275. (Read full article)
    26. Conger A, Burnham T, Salazar F, Tate Q, Golish M, Petersen R, Cunningham S, Teramoto M, Kendall R, McCormick ZL (2019). The Effectiveness of Radiofrequency Ablation of Medial Branch Nerves for Chronic Lumbar Facet Joint Syndrome in Patients Selected by Guideline-Concordant Dual Comparative Medial Branch Blocks. Pain Med, 21(5), 902-909. (Read full article)
    27. Conger A, Case C, McCormick Z, Kendall R (2020). Diagnostic Imaging Pitfalls of Upper Thoracic Spine Fractures. Pain Med, 21(5), 1079-1081. (Read full article)
    28. Conger A, Cushman DM, Speckman RA, Burnham T, Teramoto M, McCormick ZL (2019). The Effectiveness of Fluoroscopically Guided Cervical Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection for the Treatment of Radicular Pain; a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Pain Med, 21(1), 41-54. (Read full article)
    29. Conger A, Cushman DM, Walker K, Petersen R, Walega DR, Kendall R, McCormick ZL (2019). A Novel Technical Protocol for Improved Capture of the Genicular Nerves by Radiofrequency Ablation. Pain Med, 20(11), 2208-2212. (Read full article)

    Review

    1. Sperry BP, Cheney CW, Kuo KT, Clements N, Burnham T, Conger A, Cushman DM, McCormick ZL (2021). Percutaneous treatments for residual and/or phantom limb pain in adults with lower-extremity amputations: A narrative review. [Review]. PM R, 15(2), 235-245. (Read full article)
    2. Schneider BJ, Hunt C, Conger A, Qu W, Maus TP, Vorobeychik Y, Cheng J, Duszynski B, McCormick ZL (2021). The effectiveness of intradiscal biologic treatments for discogenic low back pain: a systematic review. [Review]. Spine J, 22(2), 226-237. (Read full article)
    3. Michalik A, Conger A, Smuck M, Maus TP, McCormick ZL (2021). Intraosseous Basivertebral Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation for the Treatment of Vertebral Body Endplate Low Back Pain: Current Evidence and Future Directions. [Review]. Pain Med, 22(Suppl 1), S24-S30. (Read full article)
    4. Conger A, Gililland J, Anderson L, Pelt CE, Peters C, McCormick ZL (2021). Genicular Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation for the Treatment of Painful Knee Osteoarthritis: Current Evidence and Future Directions. [Review]. Pain Med, 22(Suppl 1), S20-S23. (Read full article)

    Book Chapter

    1. Gill B, Cheney C, Clements N, Przybsyz AG, McCormick ZL, Conger A (2022). Radiofrequency Ablation for Zygapophyseal Joint Pain. In Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am (33, pp. 233-249). United States. (Read full article)

    Editorial

    1. Conger A, Smuck M, Truumees E, Lotz JC, DePalma MJ, McCormick ZL (2022). Vertebrogenic Pain: A Paradigm Shift in Diagnosis and Treatment of Axial Low Back Pain. Pain Med, 23(Suppl 2), S63-S71. (Read full article)

    Letter

    1. Rainey J, Miller S, Conger A, Anderson L, McCormick Z (2021). A Letter to the Editor Regarding Genicular Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation for the Treatment of the Painful Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty. [Letter to the editor]. Pain Med, 23(3), 603-604. (Read full article)
    2. Sperry BP, Cheney CW, Conger A, Shipman H, McCormick ZL (2020). Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation of a Large Sciatic Neuroma at the Infrapiriformis Foramen for Recalcitrant Phantom Limb Pain in a Below-Knee Amputee. [Letter to the editor]. Pain Med, 22(1), 223-226. (Read full article)
    3. Khan D, Nagpal G, Conger A, McCormick ZL, Walega DR (2019). Clinically Significant Hematoma as a Complication of Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation of the Genicular Nerves; a Case Series. [Letter to the editor]. Pain Med, 21(7), 1513-1515. (Read full article)
    4. Conger A, Shah L, Shah V, McCormick Z (2020). Cone Beam Tomosynthesis: An Emerging Technology for Procedural Image Guidance. [Letter to the editor]. Pain Med, 21(10), 2610-2613. (Read full article)

    Other

    1. McCormick ZL, Conger A, Sperry BP, Teramoto M, Petersen R, Salazar F, Cunningham S, Henrie AM, Bisson E, Kendall R (2021). Corrigendum to: A Randomized Comparative Trial of Targeted Steroid Injection via Epidural Catheter vs Standard Transforaminal Epidural Injection for the Treatment of Unilateral Cervical Radicular Pain: Six-Month Results. Pain Med (22(8), pp. 1888-1890). England. (Read full article)
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