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Your provider will examine you and order X-rays or other imaging tests that are typically ordered to see your anatomy, determine the level of arthritis or other spine injury and rule out any other causes. If you take aspirin or other blood-thinning medications, you may need to stop taking them for a few days before the procedure. Your healthcare provider will review your medical and medication history and ask you questions about your pain. What happens before a radiofrequency ablation (RFA) procedure? You may not be a candidate for radiofrequency ablation if you:

Chronic pain that does not respond to other treatment, such as pain medication and physical therapy.

This tells your provider that that particular nerve is the source of your pain and is an appropriate target for RFA.

Pain relief following a nerve block injection.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) may be right for you if have: Who is a candidate for radiofrequency ablation (RFA)? Using radiofrequency ablation to treat the targeted medial branch nerve in the facet joints or the lateral branch nerve in the sacroiliac joints decreases pain signals from reaching your brain.

Lateral branch nerves that are connected to these joints send pain signals from the spine to your brain. Sacroiliac joints are found near the bottom of your spine, right above your tailbone. Two small nerves, called medial branch nerves, are connected to the facet joints and send a signal to your brain that there is pain coming from these joints. These joints give your spine flexibility and allow movement of your back, such as twisting and bending. Within your spine, nerves branch off from your spinal cord and travel to the facet joints and sacroiliac joints.įacet joints are pairs of small joints between the vertebrae in your spine. Radiofrequency ablation is often used to manage pain originating from joints (such as your knee) and oftentimes related to pain from your spine, especially your neck and lower back (lumbar area of your spine). Nearby healthy nerves are not damaged during the procedure. The heat causes a lesion that prevents the nerve from sending pain signals to your brain. An electrode is inserted into the top of the needle, which sends the radio waves through the needle to the targeted nerve. When radiofrequency is applied to nerve tissue, it damages nerves, which prevents or stops the pain signal from reaching the brain and results in pain relief.ĭuring a radiofrequency ablation procedure, a small hollow needle is inserted into the targeted nerve that is causing pain. Radiofrequency ablation uses heat produced from radio waves to target diseased tissue. Facial pain caused by trigeminal neuralgia.Chronic pain caused by conditions including arthritis of the spine ( spondylosis) and sacroiliac (SI) joint pain.Radiofrequency ablation is used to treat: What conditions can be treated with radiofrequency ablation? Reduce the number of pain medications taken.The goals of radiofrequency ablation are to: Why is radiofrequency ablation (RFA) done? RFA can provide lasting relief for people with chronic pain, especially in the lower back, neck and arthritic joints.

The heat destroys that area of the nerve, stopping it from sending pain signals to your brain. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA), also called radiofrequency neurotomy, uses radio waves to create a current that heats a small area of nerve tissue. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) targets specific parts of a nerve so that it stops sending pain signals to your brain.