You’re plagued by pain along your spine, perhaps in your neck or back, and you’re searching for solutions that don’t involve medications or invasive surgery. Radiofrequency ablation is a technique that might be able to eliminate the need for both and, more importantly, provide you with much-needed relief from the pain.
As part of our wide range of orthopedic services, the team here at Genesis Orthopaedic and Spine endeavors to provide our clients with multiple options when it comes to pain management.
In the following, we explore one such option — radiofrequency ablation — and how this minimally invasive step toward back or neck pain relief can help you take longer-term steps through physical therapy.
Radiofrequency ablation basics
If you have a specific nerve group that’s responsible for your back or neck pain, we can quiet these nerves through a radiofrequency ablation procedure, also called a rhizotomy.
We use radiofrequency energy to heat the ends of the nerves in your back or neck, which prevents them from transmitting pain signals.
A minimally invasive approach to pain management
One of the many benefits of radiofrequency ablation is that it’s a minimally invasive approach to relieving your pain.
We perform the procedure here in our office, and here’s a step-by-step overview of what happens during your radiofrequency ablation:
- We make you comfortable and administer a local anesthetic to numb the treatment area
- We use fluoroscopy (live X-ray) to direct a needle into the hyperactive nerve group
- Once in position, we deliver the heating energy through the needle
This last step only takes about 90 seconds. After we’ve delivered the energy, we remove the needle and you’re free to return home.
After your radiofrequency ablation
We ask that you take it easy for a few days after your radiofrequency ablation, which means no activities that place added strain on your back or neck.
You may still feel residual pain in your spine from the procedure, but most patients report results in about 10 days, though some report results much sooner.
As for how long these results last, it depends on how quickly your nerve endings regrow. On average, our patients enjoy nine months of pain relief, though some report two years or more of relief.
After your radiofrequency ablation
While the radiofrequency ablation itself is great for relieving back or neck pain, you want to use this pain-free period to take longer-term steps to prevent the pain from returning.
To that end, we’ve expanded our team to include Nischal Patel, Doctor of Physical Therapy. Under Dr. Patel’s guidance, you can strengthen your back and/or neck through targeted physical therapy exercises so you won’t encounter the same back or neck pain when your nerve(s) grow back.
Between our radiofrequency ablation procedure and Dr. Patel’s physical therapy, we’re confident that we can provide you with immediate and long-term relief from your back or neck pain.
To learn more about radiofrequency ablation, contact our office in Westfield, New Jersey, to schedule a consultation.
