Conditions treated
- Chronic pain in the neck, back, knee, pelvic, and peripheral nerves
- Conditions such as spondylosis and sacroiliitis
Benefits
This outpatient non-surgical treatment option can help relieve pain without long periods of
rehabilitation or recovery. This treatment provides immediate pain relief and functional mobility in
your back while decreasing your need for other pain medications.
Procedure
Prior to peripheral nerve radiofrequency ablation Gilbert patients should ask your doctor if you may take your medication as normal, as
you may be asked to stop taking blood thinners or immunosuppressant medications to reduce your risk of
complications. Inform your doctor if you have any allergies to medication or iodine.
During the procedure, you’ll lay on your stomach on an x-ray table. Some patients will be
sedated while others will not. If you are being sedated, do not eat or drink before your procedure.
After the sedation goes into effect, the medical professional performing the procedure will disinfect
the injection site before injecting the medication near the medial or lateral branch nerves in your
back. An electrode is inserted through a needle that allows a low-voltage electrical current to pass
through the nerve. Once the target nerve has been located, a heat lesion is created on the nerve before
moving onto the next affected nerve. This process may briefly cause patients to feel pain. The entire
procedure lasts for approximately 30 to 90 minutes depending on the number of affected nerves.
Recovery
You will need someone to drive you home following your procedure. After the procedure,
you’ll be placed in an observation room if you received sedation. If not, you’ll be
permitted to return home following the conclusion of the procedure. You may experience a burning
sensation, hypersensitivity to touch, or numbness at the injection site. This is normal and will
dissipate within a few days. You can use an ice pack to help reduce these sensations.
Your doctor will discuss when it’s safe for you to return to normal activities and your
normal medication schedule. The duration of pain relief provided by this treatment varies by patient.
Some experience one to three weeks’ worth of pain relief while others experience more long-term
relief.
Risk
While this procedure is safe and low-risk, there is a rare chance for risks. Your Gilbert peripheral nerve radiofrequency ablation provider has
decided the benefits of this procedure outweigh the risks. Risks or complications for this procedure
include:
- Excessive, abnormal skin sensitivity at the injection site
- Bleeding, infection, or bruising at the injection site
- Damage to the surrounding blood vessels or nerves
- Heat damage to nearby structures
