radio frequency Archives - Pain Management Institute

Patients who endure chronic back pain and cervical pain, who have tried several conventional treatments such as medications and physical workout sessions should once try radio frequency lesioning

Radiofrequency lesioning or RFL is a process that takes advantage of electrical impulses to mask nerve transmission. RFL is mostly used on the to treat facet joint nerves, sacroiliac joint nerves and peripheral nerves. Radiofrequency Lesioning treatment provides long term relief from pain by masking the pain signals for 6 to 9 or even 18 months in some cases

The basic purpose of Radio frequency Lesioning

The Radio Frequency Lesioning does not harm the nerves instead retards their ability to transmit pain signals to the brain, providing a better and quality pain relief for up to 18 months

The procedure details

Radio Frequency Lesioning is carried under the fluoroscopic guidance to make sure that the needle reached the aimed point. By using the special Radio frequency needles and Microelectrode, the tissues and nerves the pain site is accelerated by a low intensity current. This current produces heat and blocks the pain transmitters. Local anesthesia is used to numb the area before the procedure is initiated. At the pain management institute RFL is done on an outpatient basis. The procedure takes only 30 to 60 minutes. The patient can go home soon after the procedure.

“Almost 80 to 90% of the patients get potential relief from the chronic back and neck pain with Radio Frequency Lesioning” says Dr. Zaki Anwar, MD

Though the pain relief is longer as compared to many other procedures, however it is not permanent. Sensory nerves reproduce over time and cause pain symptoms to reappear

Risks and complications

There are few risks associated with Radio frequency Lesioning involving pain and numbness, bleeding and allergic reactions on the treated area

Other rare complications include nerve damage, that may cause chronic inflammation and numbness

Conditions that can be well treated with Radio Frequency Lesioning

There are several conditions that are successfully treated with Radio Frequency Lesioning, including

Facet joint pain
Discogenic pain
Sympathetically generated pain

Final thoughts

A huge number of adults endure chronic pain conditions in the United States. The patients are not only a victim of physical agonizing also they are under emotional suffering if their pain doesn’t respond to the conventional treatments

Radio Frequency Lesioning is a slightly invasive method that is implied to effectively treat pain that has been chronic and unresponsive to other treatments. The procedure is generally safe and involves negligible risks if done by an expert physician

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

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End you suffering with radio Frequency Lesioning