Radiofrequency Ablation

Radiofrequency ablation, as the name infers, is a procedure that relies on electric current and radio waves to produce enough heat to significantly disrupt the normal flow of the pain and sensations that flow through your nerves. Radiofrequency ablation for back pain is the most common use for the radiofrequency ablation procedure by your Midtown Manhattan sports medicine and pain management doctor.

Whether your back pain originates from an injury or facet joint problems, radiofrequency ablation may be your best bet for reducing and even eliminating your pain. The procedure also works whether your back issues stem from neck pain, shoulder pain, upper back pain, middle back pain, or lower back pain.

The Basics of Radiofrequency Ablation for Back Pain

The radiofrequency ablation procedure is minimally invasive. It’s delivered by way of a needle, like an injection. This nerve block procedure is an ideal solution if you’ve suffered from chronic pain lasting more than six months. The relief you get from radiofrequency ablation for back pain can last for up to 12 months, although many people get relief from back pain for years following a lumbar radiofrequency ablation.

If you’ve tried conservative treatments like rest, activity modification, and anti-inflammatory medications with no relief — and had at least one other type of diagnostic or injection trial, like a trigger point injection — you may be a candidate for radiofrequency ablation procedures. In addition to back and neck pain, your sports medicine doctor uses the procedure to treat:

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
Arthritis
Degenerative disc disease
Occipital neuralgia
Abdominal pain

The Radiofrequency Ablation Procedure

The radiofrequency ablation for back pain treatment is performed in your New York City doctor’s office, and like many injections to treat pain, your doctor relies on fluoroscopy to guide the injection. Fluoroscopy, or real-time x-ray imaging, provides your doctor with sufficient guidance on where to place the needle.

Once you’ve been made comfortable on the x-ray table, the process usually follows several steps. The entire procedure takes between 20 minutes and an hour, depending on how many areas are treated. The procedure involves:

You’re given a low-dose sedative to relax you.
The skin is cleaned where the injection is planned.
Your physician places a numbing agent onto your skin, which may sting for a few moments.
The radiofrequency needle is inserted and guided to the proper point.
A tiny amount of electricity is shot through the needle at first to make sure your doctor has the needle placed correctly. A muscle twitches when it’s been hit with the impulse.
The nerves then are numbed so that you won’t feel the pain of the heat.
The heat creates a small lesion to put a stop to the pain. Additional nerves are treated during the same treatment period if necessary.

Benefits, Risks, and Side Effects

About 70 percent of the people who receive lumbar radiofrequency ablation report positive results. Sometimes, after the nerve block is done, you and your doctor realize that your pain is also coming from other sources. Risks are minimal, and complications such as infection and bleeding are rare. More commonly, you’ll experience temporary side effects that could include:

Bruising
Swelling at the injection site
Leg numbness or weakness

Although you can usually return to work and your normal activities the next day, your pain management team recommends that you don’t drive for 24 hours. And you’ll need a ride home from the office. You’ll probably be a little sore for about a week, though ice packs help relieve this discomfort.

Following Up in Manhattan

Build a relationship with our experienced sports pain relief specialist at the Sports and Pain Institute of NY — they want to ensure that you get the most effective treatment for back pain. Athletes who suffer from chronic injuries, executives on the go for days on end, and older New Yorkers suffering from age-related wear-and-tear conditions appreciate the pain relief they get from the radiofrequency ablation procedure.

It’s likely that you’ll have to return for follow-up injections, or touch-ups, within about three weeks if your pain is not fully abated. This procedure isn’t permanent so you need to maintain regular visits to keep up the relief.

Contraindications:

You’re not a candidate for radiofrequency ablation for back pain if you:

Are taking blood thinning medication
Have uncontrolled diabetes
Suffer with heart disease
Have an active infection

Febin Melepura, MD is a top rated, best in class interventional pain management doctor. He is a nationally recognized pain relief specialist and is among the top pain care doctors in New York City and the country. He is an award winning expert and contributor to a prominent media outlets.

Dr. Febin Melepura has been recognized for his thoughtful, thorough, modern approach to treating chronic pain and, among other accolades, has been named a “top pain management doctor in New York”, and one of “America’s Top Doctors™” for an advanced sports injury treatments.