Living with chronic pain can be frustrating, as it affects every area of your life. You may lose the desire to exercise, work or even move on some days. If other forms of pain treatment haven’t worked for you and your pain continues or worsens, radiofrequency ablation is a procedure that offers pain relief you can count on, sometimes for years. The experienced doctors at Pain Management Manhattan NYC have been providing this life-changing procedure for years, coupled with a clear and accurate diagnosis. Call for an appointment today.
If you have chronic pain that doesn’t respond to traditional or alternative pain treatments, radiofrequency ablation may free you from your pain problems. The radiofrequency ablation procedure is an outpatient treatment that can give you relief for up to a year or more. It’s not a new procedure, but it is available at our Pain Clinic in NYC.
Lumbar radiofrequency ablation for lower back pain and other pain issues uses heat created by radio waves to destroy tissue, specifically nerve tissue. A small area of tissue is damaged by the electric current, creating a small lesion, the size of a cotton-tipped swab. This prevents the transmission of pain signals to and from your brain by creating a physical block.
Targeted Pain Management
Radiofrequency ablation can be finely targeted, so it’s useful for a variety of pain problems. Even though the effect is temporary, you can be free from the pain of many issues, such as:
- Chronic pain
- Injuries like whiplash
- Neuropathic pain, such as complex regional pain syndrome, peripheral nerve entrapment syndrome and peripheral neuralgia
- Spine surgery pain
- Arthritis of the spine
- Pain in the neck
- Back pain
- Pain in the buttocks
- Sacrum pain
- Hip pain
- Knee joint pain
- Certain headaches
Who Can Benefit from Radiofrequency Ablation?
If you suffer from chronic pain that doesn’t go away with pain medications and physical therapy, ask your pain doctor about radiofrequency ablation. If you want to avoid surgery, a targeted lumbar radiofrequency ablation procedure may trigger your pain relief. Almost anyone can get this procedure unless you have an infection, you’re pregnant or you have a bleeding disorder.
The top-rated back pain doctors at Pain Management NYC are experienced with radiofrequency ablation for pain. They make certain you’re a good candidate before the procedure by taking a thorough medical history and performing a detailed physical examination.
The Radiofrequency Ablation Procedure
On the day of your procedure, you get a mild sedative through an intravenous needle, but you remain awake during the procedure. As you lie on your side or stomach, the injection site, which has already been chosen depending on your area of pain, is cleaned and prepared. You’re given a local anesthetic at the injection site as well.
Using a specialized x-ray machine called fluoroscopy, your doctor inserts a hollow, insulated needle into your body next to the nerve. A small electrode, which carries the current, is directed in through the needle to a branch of the affected nerve. The radiofrequency waves are applied for 60 to 90 seconds and then the electrode is removed.
You may feel a slight tingling, which tells your chronic pain management doctor that he’s found the correct place. Many patients feel only minimal discomfort, in the form of pressure. The procedure takes as little as 15 minutes and as long as an hour or two, depending on which nerves and how many are being treated.
The Recovery Process
Since you may be given a mild sedative, you’re monitored in recovery for a short time to make sure you’re stable. As long as there’s no allergic reaction to the anesthesia and you feel all right, you’re able to go home with a ride because you can’t drive yourself after the procedure.
To ensure that the radiofrequency ablation procedure works, your Midtown pain management doctors near you give you specific instructions to follow, such as:
- Resting for 24 hours
- Avoiding a warm bath for 24 hours
- Staying away from operating heavy machinery
- Using a cold pack, instead of heat pack, for 20 minutes, three times a day
- Setting up a follow-up appointment with your pain specialist
Lumbar Radiofrequency Ablation Follow-Up
You may feel a slight pain or inflammation at the injection site for a few hours or days, but you can take over-the-counter medication as recommended by your doctor. If pain persists or you have a fever, bleeding, or worsening pain, tell your doctor right away. The risks and complications are minimal when you choose the best back pain specialists in NYC to do the radiofrequency ablation procedure.
People who’ve lived with chronic pain for years report pain relief that lasts from six months to a year. The full effects of radiofrequency ablation for back pain and other pain issues may take up to three weeks, but some patients remain pain-free for up to two years. Nerve regrowth does sometimes happen, but if you’re active and build strength, this temporary procedure can become a successful life-changing event.
Research shows that 70 to 80 percent of people who have successful nerve blocks benefitted from radiofrequency ablation. This easy and simple procedure can even be repeated as needed. Get back to a pain-free life; contact the pain experts at Pain Management NYC.
Boleslav Kosharskyy, MD, is a top-rated, best-in-class interventional pain management doctor. He is board-certified in Anesthesiology, Interventional Pain Medicine, and Palliative Care.
Dr. Kosharskyy is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Rehabilitation Medicine at Albert Einstein Medical College. He’s also the Associate Medical Director of Pain Medicine and Director of Anesthesia for the Joint Replacement Center at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein Medical College.
He is an active member of the American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA), the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA), and the New York State Society of Anesthesiologists (NYSSA)