30-Second Blog “Snapshot:”
- Patients with chronic nerve pain or a pain condition that resulted from a spinal cord injury may benefit from a minimally invasive, interventional pain treatment called radiofrequency lesioning.
- Radiofrequency lesioning uses energy to heat and subsequently destroy sensory nerve endings that are transmitting pain signals to the brain.
- The radiofrequency lesioning experts at Southwest Spine and Pain Center discuss the benefits of this procedure for those with chronic pain.
What is Radiofrequency Lesioning?
In a nutshell, radiofrequency lesioning is a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure that uses radiofrequency energy to destroy damaged nerves or nervous tissue that are sending pain signals to the brain. Our radiofrequency lesioning experts usually recommend this unique treatment option for patients who have not responded well to other interventional pain treatment modalities such as epidural steroid injections or nerve blocks. Before radiofrequency lesioning is administered, patients typically undergo a diagnostic nerve block to determine whether or not the procedure will be successful.
Who Benefits from Radiofrequency Lesioning?
The radiofrequency lesioning experts at Southwest Spine and Pain Center usually perform this procedure on patients with chronic pain caused by damaged peripheral nerves (sensory nerves) or nervous tissue surrounding the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Specific conditions that fall under this category generally include:
- Trigeminal neuralgia (chronic facial pain)
- Occipital nerve neuralgia
- Degenerative disc disease
- Post-herpetic neuralgia
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), type 1 and 2
- Peripheral neuropathies
- Coccydynia
- Neck or back pain due to facet joint arthropathy
Talk to your radiofrequency lesioning expert about undergoing the procedure for your chronic pain.
What Can I Expect During Radio Frequency Lesioning?
Because radiofrequency lesioning is an outpatient procedure, patients are typically sent home later that day. Patients can expect the procedure to last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half. During the procedure, your radiofrequency lesioning expert will ask you to lie down on your stomach on a special x-ray table. The table and an x-ray device called a fluoroscope ensures accurate needle placement during the procedure. An intravenous line will be administered for conscious sedation and minimal discomfort. A numbing medication will also be injected into the skin before radiofrequency lesioning.
Once the operation site is numb, the radiofrequency needle will be inserted into the skin and onto targeted nerves. A radiofrequency generator will then deliver radiowaves to heat the electrode placed on the targeted nerve and then heat the damaged nerves for up to 90 seconds. This will help destroy the damaged nerves and prevent pain signals from being sent through the spinal cord to the brain.
When all of the targeted nerves have been treated, the radiofrequency lesioning expert will remove the radiofrequency cannula and suture the operation site close.
For more information about radiofrequency lesioning from our radiofrequency lesioning experts, call one of our locations today to set up an appointment!
If chronic pain is impacting your life, don't wait to schedule an appointment at Southwest Spine and Pain Center. With multiple locations across the state of Utah, the pain management specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center are dedicated to helping those who suffer from chronic pain live the life they want to! To schedule an appointment, visit our locations tab!
The advice and information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.