Radiofrequency Ablation: A Treatment Method To Combat Chronic Pain
A persisting long-standing pain is a chronic pain beyond the usual recovery period or happens along with a chronic health condition like arthritis. Chronic pain is on and off or can be continuous. It affects people who can’t work, eat properly, and in physical activity or enjoy life. So, it is the right decision to look for a treatment method leveraging the power of radiofrequency energy to fight chronic pain.
A radiofrequency ablation back pain treatment is a minimally invasive procedure that destroys the nerve fibers that carry pain signals to the brain. It provides a lasting relief for the people with chronic pain, most especially in the different parts:
- lower back
- neck
- arthritic joints
Radiofrequency ablation for back pain
RFA (Radiofrequency Ablation) for pain management, which uses heat to destroy tissue. For pain management, radio waves will be sent through a precisely placed needle heating the nerve area. It will prevent the pain signals from sending back to the brain. RFA is always considered for long-term pain conditions.
Therefore, if you have experienced long-term damage to the neck and lower back parts, including arthritic joints that have not been treated with any other methods, consider RFA as the right treatment.
Does RFA lessen the pain?
Radiofrequency ablation is also called radiofrequency neurotomy. The treatment uses radio waves to make a current, heating the small area of the nerve tissue. The heat will destroy that nerve area to stop sending pain signals to the brain. Radiofrequency ablation provides lasting relief for people suffering from chronic pain, including the other mentioned body parts.
Why is RFA done?
The radiofrequency ablation goals are:
- Reduce the number of pain medications
- Avoid or delay surgery
- Improve function
- Stop or reduce pain
How does RFA work?
Radiofrequency ablation utilizes heat produced from the radio waves, targeting diseased tissue. When radiofrequency is applied to the nerve tissue, it will damage the nerves that stop the pain signal from reaching the brain, resulting in pain relief. During the radiofrequency ablation procedure, the small hollow needed will be inserted into the targeted nerve, causing pain.
Pain management in the spine
RFA is used for pain management, originating from joints and related to pain from the spine, especially the neck and lower back. In the spine, nerves branch off from the spinal cord and travel to the sacroiliac and facet joints.
Using RFA to treat the back or spine has been a renowned method to address this chronic pain due to its effectiveness.