What Is Radiofrequency Ablation And When Might I Need It?

— -- Question: What Is Radiofrequency Ablation And When Is It Used For Pain?

Answer: Radiofrequency treatment uses heat to destroy nerves that transmit painful signals to the brain. Radiofrequency uses high frequency waves that create a lesion in the nerve, and thereby prevent the transmission of pain.

The treatment is used for neck and low back pain, that is spinal pain, trigeminal neuralgia, and sacroiliac joint pain after diagnostic local anesthetic injections confirm that blocking specific nerves will reduce the pain.

If you suffer from spinal pain due to enlarged or arthritic joints, have shooting sharp head pain that begins near your ear and radiates toward the middle part of your face, or have low back pain from disease of the sacroiliac joint, you may be a candidate for radiofrequency treatment.

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