Most Common Pain Conditions That Benefit From Radiofrequency Ablation

When hyperactive nerve fibers are at the root of your chronic pain condition, you may not get sufficient relief from go-to care strategies like medication, physical therapy, massage, or even from a first-line interventional pain relief procedure, like an injection. 

At Interventional Sports and Pain Management Associates in Humble and Baytown, Texas, we’ve helped many Houston-area patients attain life-changing relief from persistent pain, including for difficult conditions that may have seemed beyond remedy.  

If you’re coping with an unrelenting chronic pain problem, board-certified interventional pain management specialist Dr. Okezie N. Okezie may recommend radiofrequency ablation (RFA) as the next best step in your treatment plan.

Radiofrequency ablation explained

RFA, also known as radiofrequency rhizotomy or neurotomy, is an advanced, non-surgical pain-relief procedure that uses thermal radio waves (heat) to effectively “switch off” or block the transmission of overactive nerve fibers that send continuous pain signals.  

When other treatments don’t deliver

It’s a next-level treatment option for pain conditions that stem from specific nerves that haven’t been adequately calmed with conventional pain management strategies, including conservative care (e.g., rest, PT) and injection therapy (e.g., steroid injections).  

Painless, precise, and minimally invasive

Done with the assistance of a local anesthetic (or sedation) and fluoroscopy (live X-ray imaging guidance), non-surgical RFA painlessly and precisely delivers thermal energy directly to the root of the problematic nerve fibers through a special rhizotomy needle. 

A successful diagnostic nerve block prior to RFA pinpoints the problematic nerve fibers with 100% accuracy. 

Immediate, long-lasting pain relief

When the thermal energy hits the root of the problematic nerve, it’s disabled — and its pain signals are cut off with near-instant effect. Most patients experience rapid relief that lasts for several years — and in some cases, indefinitely.   

Conditions we often treat with RFA 

RFA can alleviate a wide range of chronic pain conditions. Most commonly, Dr. Okezie uses it to address persistent pain in the spine or major joints.

1. Back and neck pain

Many common forms of ongoing back and neck pain can benefit from RFA, including: 

Facet joint arthritis 

RFA is highly effective — and most frequently used for — chronic neck and lower back pain caused by spondylosis, facet joint arthritis, or other arthritis-related damage in the spine. 

SI joint dysfunction

Dysfunction in the sacroiliac (SI) joint, which connects the base of your spine to your pelvis, is one of the most common causes of treatment-resistant lower back pain. In many cases, RFA works very well to ease it. 

Degenerative disc disease

Degenerated or herniated discs can press on nearby spinal nerves, and RFA can help manage the resulting chronic back or neck pain when PT and other therapies fail to help. 

Whiplash and neck strain

Chronic neck pain from poor posture, stress, or a traumatic whiplash injury often responds well to RFA, giving you the relief you need to foster healing and promote optimal recovery through PT and other therapies. 

Failed back surgery syndrome

Patients who continue to experience chronic back pain after spinal surgery may finally get relief with a targeted RFA treatment — as long as the problematic nerve fibers can be pinpointed with a diagnostic nerve block.

Major joint pain

Persistent and disabling arthritis pain in any of the major joints (knee, hip, or shoulder) responds well to RFA treatment for patients who want to delay or avoid — or who aren’t candidates for — joint replacement surgery.

RFA can treat other pain problems

RFA is most often used to alleviate chronic pain originating from the spine or major joints, but it can also be highly effective for many other nerve-related pain conditions that haven’t improved with initial care strategies. Dr. Okezie may recommend it for:

• Trigeminal neuralgia (severe chronic facial pain)
• Peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage in an extremity)
• Certain pain syndromes (e.g., CRPS, occipital neuralgia)
• Cancer-related pain (e.g., a tumor pressing on a nerve) 
• Cervicogenic headaches (head pain from neck issues) 

RFA can also alleviate chronic post-surgical pain following a procedure like a joint replacement — provided a diagnostic nerve block can pinpoint the problematic nerve that’s responsible. 

Chronic pain relief in Houston, Texas

If you’re living with unrelenting pain that hasn’t improved with standard care, RFA can deliver immediate relief that lasts. This translates to a reduced reliance on pain medication along with improved sleep, energy, mood, and mobility — and a better quality of life.  

To find out how radiofrequency rhizotomy can help you, schedule a visit at Interventional Sports and Pain Management Associates in Humble or Baytown, Texas, today.