There are a plethora of procedures and treatment options when it comes to pain medicine and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is one such option that can be pursued to manage chronic pain after first-line treatments haven’t shown desired results. In an RFA procedure for chronic pain, a probe needle is inserted into the body to emit radio waves, which are characterized by their low frequency and high wavelength which heat the desired nerve tissue. The heat effectively destroys the tissue, and in turn, prevents pain signals from being sent to the brain. In addition to the management of pain, RFA is also a technique used to treat certain types of cancer by the same heating process. Radiofrequency treatments have been around for numerous decades, and radiofrequency ablation is just one of the many applications of utilizing electromagnetic radiation to help treat patients. It is highly advised that patients curious about pursuing such a treatment for their chronic pain contact a physician for further information.

One amazing thing about radiofrequency ablation is that there are many applications of the technique in the field of medicine, ranging from chronic pain to cancer treatment, to venous issues. Within pain medicine, it is especially prominent when treating joints and nervous system conditions. This means anything ranging from osteoarthritis to damaged nerves, to even specific types of headaches may see improvement thanks to RFA. It should be noted that it is a short-term solution to chronic pain, typically lasting between three to twelve months— heavily dependent on the condition being treated, and is generally recommended for those who have tried different treatments previously. Again, radiofrequency ablation covers a very broad range of conditions spanning many subfields within medicine, meaning that asking a physician if it is an appropriate option for your own specific case is definitely a worthwhile consideration.

Utilizing electromagnetic radiation is nothing new to medicine, but over the years it has been refined and updated as technology has progressed, thus the same logic directly applies to the radiofrequency ablation technique. It begins with a probe needle being inserted into the body at the desired locations. From there, the probe emits waves or electromagnetic radiation consisting of large wavelengths and low frequency, which corresponds to lower energy to heat the desired tissue. The heat eventually destroys the tissue, thus, from a chronic pain standpoint, the nerve can no longer send pain signals to the brain. From a tumor standpoint, it was subjected to heat that killed cells. The procedure itself can take as short as 15 minutes but can take as long as 90 minutes, again, depending on what is being treated. This time frame also does not include the time of preparation and waiting time post-procedure, which also plays a role in terms of total time spent.

Typically, candidates for radiofrequency ablation are those who suffer from forms of chronic pain whether it is due to joints, or nervous system conditions. Knee and hip joint pain are common when it comes to RFA treatment, as well as regions surrounding the spine such as the facet joint, and other components of the nervous system. Do note that these are simply some of the most common conditions that RFA treats, not the only ones, which is why speaking with your physician will ensure you get the most accurate information possible. Besides the aforementioned conditions, a candidate for RFA must have tried a previous conservative treatment and has either not responded well to it, or not at all. These previous treatments are likely to be in the form of physical therapy or medication, but the underlying conclusion was that no significant improvement in pain occurred despite undergoing the treatment. It is also important that patients looking to pursue RFA should not be pregnant, reliant on a cardiac pacemaker, or have an infection. All of these make it much more difficult, or even impossible to perform the procedure safely. We serve patients from Phoenix AZ, Sun City AZ, Peoria AZ, Scottsdale AZ, Glendale AZ, Tempe AZ, Waddell AZ, Paradise Valley AZ, and BEYOND!