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Radiofrequency Lesioning and your pain symptoms

Overview

Radio frequency is a surgical process in which special needles are used to produce lesions along the certain nerves, the needles are subjected to, give a high temperature up to 80 degrees Celsius, when the heat is given to the nerves from  2 to 3 minutes the nerves become resistant of delivering pain signals, once the nerves are damaged the body works to regenerate the nerves but the process takes a whole year

Who are the candidates for Radio frequency Lesioning?

Radio frequency lesioning procedure, is recommended for the patients who experience a specific type of lower back or neck pain, mainly it treats the pain arising from the facet joints, before the radio frequency lesioning some nerve block injections is given fro diagnostic and therapeutic purpose temporarily, it’s the candidate responds well to the diagnostic local anesthetic, then it may work wonders

Benefits of radio frequency lesioning

The procedure is beneficial breaking the channel for carrying pain signals, which in turn reduce  pain and other symptoms related, the procedure is observed to be beneficial for most patients, it also indicates other painful areas once a certain nerve is blocked

How long does the procedure take?

The procedure can take about 30 minutes to an hour, but it can vary depending upon the area to be treated

The procedure is performed as:

As we know the X-ray cannot display the nerves, but the X-ray guidance is taken to identify the bony landmarks that expose, where the nerves are situated, after the needle infusion, severely low temperature is applied to the needles to examine whether the needles have reached the suitable nerves, after the verification of the needle tip has reached the desired point a local anesthetic is given to numb the nerves, soon after the nerves are appropriately numbed, higher radio frequency heat is applied to the nerves

Is the procedure painful?

The procedure starts by inserting a local anesthetic with a very small needle, which feels like a small pinch and slight burning effect as the anesthesia starts working, the procedure needle seems like exerting a little pressure on the injection site

Risks

Broadly, the procedure is safe, however, there are some certain risks, complications and side effects  attached to the procedures in which injections are involved, these risks also depended upon the areas to be treated. The needles pass through the skin and soft tissues that can cause soreness and tissue damage. The radio frequency lesion can also bring the risks of damage of the surrounding nerves