Radiofrequency Ablation Specialist

What is radiofrequency ablation?

Radiofrequency ablation is a treatment for chronic pain that uses electrical currents to disrupt pain signals. The electrical current heats a targeted section of nerve tissue to precisely the right temperature to prevent it from transmitting pain signals to your brain.

Radiofrequency ablation offers a long-lasting answer to chronic pain for patients who aren’t benefiting from less invasive treatments. Studies of patients who received radiofrequency ablation therapy show that most experienced at least some degree of relief from their pain after treatment.

The benefits you feel if you undergo radiofrequency ablation are likely to depend on what’s causing your pain and where you feel the pain.

The best results seem to be in people who have lower back or neck pain or arthritis. The team at Interventional Pain Management, Stem & Regenerative Cell Therapy find patients who have spinal stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spinal column, and facet joint pain in the vertebrae get good results from radiofrequency ablation.

What happens when I have radiofrequency ablation?

Before the procedure begins, your provider at Interventional Pain Management, Stem & Regenerative Cell Therapy gives you a sedative through an intravenous line. The sedative helps you relax, so you feel calm and unworried throughout the procedure.

You need to lie on your back or stomach on the treatment table and have a local anesthetic that numbs your skin at the treatment site. Your provider inserts a very thin needle into the target area using fluoroscopy, a special kind of X-ray that shows precisely where the needle needs to go. When the needle is in position, your provider inserts a microelectrode and asks you whether you can feel any tingling. Your response helps your provider to locate the perfect spot to administer the radiofrequency ablation treatment.

When everything is in the right place, your provider sends a current of radiofrequency energy through the electrode to heat the nerve tissue. Most patients can leave a few hours after the procedure, once the sedative wears off.

The effects of radiofrequency ablation therapy typically last between 6-12 months, although some patients continue to benefit from their treatment for years afterward.

Is radiofrequency ablation a safe treatment?

Radiofrequency ablation is a safe form of treatment with a low risk of complications. You might feel some weakness in your legs or numbness after your treatment session, and there could be bruising or swelling at the injection site.

Your provider at Interventional Pain Management, Stem & Regenerative Cell Therapy advises you on how to look after yourself following your radiofrequency ablation therapy.

You should try to relax and not do too much for a day or two, and don’t drive or do anything too energetic. After a couple of days, you can carry on with life as normal.

If you have a chronic pain problem and your current treatment isn’t helping, radiofrequency ablation could provide a solution. Find out if it’s right for you by calling Interventional Pain Management, Stem & Regenerative Cell Therapy today, or book an appointment online.