Radiofrequency Ablation

Radiofrequency ablation offers meaningful pain relief for more than 70% of patients who have the procedure. At Pain Management Centers of New England, with locations in Gloucester, Danvers, and Newburyport, Massachusetts, the premier team of anesthesiology and pain management specialists offers the most effective radiofrequency ablation procedures for chronic back and neck pain. Call the office nearest you to learn more about this procedure, or book your appointment through online scheduling now.

What is radiofrequency ablation?

Radiofrequency ablation is a treatment in which precise heating destroys a nerve that’s triggering severe pain. This minimally invasive treatment can give you long-lasting control over your chronic pain. 

What problems does radiofrequency ablation treat?

Radiofrequency ablation treats many types of neck, back and knee pain, including:  

• Pain in the facet joints that connect spinal vertebrae
• Pain in the sacroiliac (SI) joints that link the spine and pelvis
• Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) or sympathetically mediated pain
• Vertebrogenic (vertebra) pain 
• Spondylosis (spinal arthritis)

How does the radiofrequency ablation process work?

Before a radiofrequency ablation procedure, you have a diagnostic nerve block injection targeting the nerve that’s causing your pain, a medial branch nerve block, for example. If a nerve block is successful in reducing your pain, you can expect similar results from radiofrequency ablation.

Most radiofrequency procedures are performed under sedation. Your doctor guides a thin hollow needle to the nerve causing your pain. Once the placement is correct, you receive additional numbing medicine, and your doctor transmits radiofrequency energy through the needle.

The engergy produces heat along part of the nerve that triggers your pain signals. If necessary, your doctor can repeat the process in several areas. 

The specific placement of the needle depends on where your pain originates. For example, the industry-leading Intracept® procedure involves ablating the basivertebral nerve within a spinal vertebra.

After radiofrequency ablation, a loved one can drive you home. For the most part, you can resume normal activities quickly, waiting 24 hours for any strenuous activity. You can shower, but not bathe, for the first day or two.

Radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive treatment with big rewards for chronic pain sufferers. To learn more about this exciting treatment innovation, call Pain Management Centers of New England or click the scheduler to book your appointment online.

We have pain covered across the north shore and Merrimack Valley.