Our Treatments

The center was designed to deliver treatment to pain patients in a caring and compassionate manner,
with an understanding of how chronic pain can affect numerous facets of an individual’s life.

What is Radiofrequency Nerve Ablation?

The Nervous System of the body is the network through which important messages are sent at extremely high speeds. These messages can be vital to the human’s survival, but in some cases can be too inflated or erroneous in nature.

In these cases, the extra notes transferring through the system can be converted into disproportionate amounts of pain, especially when a nerve cord itself is disturbed. Radiofrequency Nerve Ablation (RFA) is used to dull these messages superficially, so they either cease to exist or resemble the relevant amount of pain.

How does this procedure work?

The dysfunctional nerves causing the painful stimulus are targeted using various image guidance technology (Fluoroscopy, CT Scan, or Ultrasound) and injections of local anesthesia (such as lidocaine) prior to the RFA procedure. If the local anesthesia injections provide temporary pain relief, then RFA is performed on the nerve(s) that responded well to the injections.

RFA is a minimally invasive procedure which can usually be done in an ambulatory setting, going home shortly after completion of the procedure. The person is awake during the procedure, so risks associated with general anesthesia are avoided. An intravenous line may be inserted so that mild sedatives can be administered.

The coating around the nerves are heated using radio waves conducted through a needle. In heating the coating around the nerves, the signals emitting the pain stimulus are interrupted for an average of six months to 2 years.

Interruption of the pain signals through radiofrequency nerve ablation may be applied to the spinal nerves of the cervical, thoracic and lumbosacral spine or any nerve innervating (communicating at the level of) the joint of the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, ankle, as well as the nerves of the head and face.

What are the benefits of this treatment?

  1. Minimally Invasive: There is no open incision
  2. No Recovery Time
  3. Delay Surgery or Improve Surgical Outcomes
  4. 95% effective after positive diagnostic block
How many treatments will i need?

The heat applied to the nerves results in denaturation (breakdown) of the protective coating relaying the painful signals. The nerves have the ability to regenerate the coating over a period of 6 months to 2 years. This is a slow process that will allow the nerves to return to function.

Therefore, pain may return within 6 months to 2 years depending on the time it takes to regenerate the nerve coating. For that reason a repeat procedure is not recommended sooner than 6 months. On average the procedure can be performed in the same area twice per year to once per every two years.

What is the recovery time of this procedure?

The procedure is performed in an ambulatory surgery setting and does not require general anesthesia allowing a quick recovery. Overall, there is no down time following the procedure. Any regards for recovery may require 24 hours if minimal sedation is used.

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