Millions of people around the world live with chronic pain, but being common doesn’t mean that it’s easy to live with. People who have chronic pain struggle in ways others don’t. And sometimes, it feels like nothing will help.
At Apex Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, our staff and providers strive to help our patients find ways to manage pain so that you can live your life to the fullest. For those who have chronic spinal pain, radiofrequency ablation can be an important intervention.
Radiofrequency ablation is often shortened to RFA. This treatment uses radio waves to create heat. The heat is directed very precisely to destroy an area of nerve tissue in order to prevent pain signals from reaching your brain.
That may sound like a bad thing, but if the nerves are damaged or diseased and sending pain signals when they shouldn’t be, destroying part of it will result in less pain for you.
When you have RFA, we insert a thin, hollow needle into the area being treated. Then your doctor places an electrode into the needle. The electrode sends radio waves through the needle to the problematic nerve.
The radio waves produce heat that creates a small lesion on the nerve and stops the pain signals. It’s an extremely precise procedure, and no nearby tissue or nerves are damaged.
RFA is minimally invasive. You don’t have an incision at all, just the needle insertion. It first emerged in the 1900s, so it has a long history.
Modern innovations include various designs of electrodes and needles used to administer RFA, and doctors use imaging techniques to guide the placement of the needle. It’s one of the safest ways to treat nerves near sensitive structures such as nerve clusters in your spine.
Also, RFA offers longer-term pain relief compared to other interventions and has a low complication rate. In other words, if you’re living with chronic pain, and your doctor suggests RFA, you likely have more to gain than to lose by having the procedure.
Back pain is one of the most common types of chronic pain, and it’s also one of the conditions that RFA is frequently used to treat. For example, facet syndrome, which is pain that originates in the joints of your spinal cord, is often treated with RFA.
Pain relief usually lasts from six months to a year. Some patients experience relief for several years, and some only get limited relief for a short time.
One of our specialties at Apex Medical Center is radiofrequency ablation. Our providers are highly skilled and trained in administering this potentially life-changing intervention.
If you’d like to learn more about RFA and find out if you’re a good candidate, schedule an appointment at one of our three convenient locations. We’re always happy to offer guidance in the context of your unique situation.
