Radiofrequency Ablation May Be the Answer to Your Back Pain

Nearly half of working Americans have back pain each year, and for many, symptoms can persist and become chronic. With often debilitating symptoms, it’s no surprise that back pain causes 264 million lost days of work each year — or two days for every full-time employee.

Fortunately, there are drug-free solutions to help alleviate back pain. 

Board-certified anesthesiologist and pain medicine specialist Krishna Chunduri, MD, offers a full array of the latest medical advancements in back pain treatment at his practice,  Advanced Spine & Pain Specialists, located in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

Radiofrequency ablation is among the most successful for patients with chronic back pain. Read on to learn if this breakthrough treatment might be right for you.

Not all back pain is equal

It’s not surprising that back pain is so pervasive, considering the many different structures in your back that can become damaged or injured. 

Acute pain, which occurs suddenly and often intensely, usually affects soft tissue, such as muscles or ligaments. This type of back pain is frequently localized and responds to rest, hot and cold compresses, and anti-inflammatory medications.

Chronic back pain, however, can indicate a more serious problem. These symptoms often develop because of skeletal problems, osteoarthritis, or a degenerative disc disease. Unlike soft tissue injuries, which have localized symptoms, this type of back pain usually includes additional signs, such as:

• Shooting, stabbing, or jolts of pain
• Radiating pain, numbness or tingling, or weakness
• Symptoms that improve if you bend forward or recline
• Symptoms that worsen with actions like standing or sneezing

If you have such symptoms, it’s often a sign that your nerves or nerve roots are now involved. If your back pain is not resolved with conservative therapies, including prescription drugs, nerve blocks, epidural injections, or physical therapy, it may be time to try a new approach. An effective strategy could be radiofrequency ablation.

Stopping back pain at the source

Radiofrequency ablation, or RFA, is a minimally invasive treatment that eliminates your symptoms by using targeted amounts of heat to disable nerve-sending pain signals. We often recommend this treatment for neck or back pain or arthritis pain from joint degeneration.

To perform RFA, we start by doing extensive nerve testing. This process enables us to locate the specific nerve causing your back pain. Once identified, we use X-ray guidance to insert a needle as close to the nerve as possible. The last step involves delivering heat through the needle to the nerve, which disables the nerve sending the pain signals.

When you have radiofrequency ablation, we give you medication and topical anesthetic to keep you comfortable throughout the entire process. This treatment typically takes anywhere from 30-90 minutes, and you can go home the same day. You may experience mild pain or numbness at the treatment site, but this should fade quickly.

Getting results with radiofrequency ablation

Radiofrequency ablation has a proven track record of providing safe and effective pain relief. Its primary side effects include minimal discomfort, swelling, and bruising for a few days. More than 70% of men and women report successful pain relief after RFA treatment. 

Other benefits from radiofrequency ablation include:

• Delaying or eliminating the need for surgery
• Restoring mobility and range of motion
• Reducing the need for pain medication

Radiofrequency ablation can provide pain relief within 1-3 weeks and lasts from six months to several years.

To learn more about radiofrequency ablation and whether it may be right for you, book an appointment with Dr. Chunduri at Advanced Spine & Pain Specialists in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Call the office at 773-219-1115 or request an appointment online today.