Do you live with chronic pain that’s difficult to treat? Pulsed Radiofrequency Ablations Can Reset Your Nerves And Give You Long-lasting Pain Relief

When areas of your body are damaged from an accident, illness, or disease process, the damage can negatively affect specific nerves. And the pain you feel from this damage can disrupt every aspect of your life and wellbeing. 

At OC Wellness Physicians Medical Group, we specialize in creating holistic, individualized treatment plans to help you achieve effective pain management. So, if you’ve tried more conservative therapies without finding relief, pulsed radiofrequency may be able to help you. 

WHAT IS PULSED RADIOFREQUENCY, AND HOW DOES IT RELIEVE PAIN?

Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) is a minimally invasive treatment that delivers energy directly to a pain-causing nerve. In PRF, we insert a needle near the pain-causing nerve under x-ray guidance. We then deliver pulses of radiofrequency energy to the area to reprogram the nerve.

Like radiofrequency ablation (RFA)[LINK TO RFA PIECE] , pulsed radiofrequency uses energy currents to target the specific nerve causing your pain. 

But unlike RFA, pulsed radiofrequency does not burn away the nerve. It doesn’t heat the nerve – it only changes the way it transmits pain signals. Pulsed radiofrequency does not cause any further long-term damage to the nerve.

Instead, PRF essentially “resets” the nerve to stop it from sending pain signals by delivering pulsed energy directly to the pain-causing nerve. 

Pulsed Radiofrequency Ablations

WHAT DOES PULSED RADIOFREQUENCY TREAT?

PRF is often used on the nerve roots along the spine, but it can treat painful nerves in many areas of the body. PRF can improve a wide range of chronic pain conditions by targeting painful nerves in the spine, legs, arms, shoulders, head, or neck. 

PRF may be used after a nerve block if the nerve block effectively treats your pain. You can learn more about nerve blocks here. If you’ve had a nerve block that helped relieve your pain, PRF could be the next step in providing longer-lasting pain relief.

Benefits of pulsed radiofrequency include:

  • Minimally invasive procedure
  • No long-lasting nerve damage
  • No medications involved (besides a local anesthetic)
  • Safe and low risk 
  • Fast procedure
  • Quick recovery time
  • Long-lasting pain relief

When you come in for a consultation we’ll walk you through all of your treatment options and find the pain-management plan that’s right for you.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE PULSED RADIOFREQUENCY TO WORK?

Although you may experience some discomfort for a few days after the procedure, many patients find effective pain relief after those few days pass. 

How long you achieve pain relief will depend on your unique condition. Pain relief can last for a few months and even up to a year for some patients. Pulsed radiofrequency can be repeated if necessary, as it does not cause nerve damage and involves no medications. Countless patients have found an improvement in their chronic pain from this procedure. 

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING YOUR VISIT

The pulsed radiofrequency procedure is an outpatient appointment performed in our offices. We may give you sedative medication to keep you relaxed and comfortable, which means you’ll need a ride home. 

When you come in for your visit, you’ll change into a gown and lie on a special table. We’ll clean the area to be treated and give you a local anesthetic at the injection spot.  

Your doctor will use x-ray guidance to ensure the needle is precisely placed. Then the doctor will deliver small amounts of energy to the area. The doctor may ask if you feel any sensations to help verify the correct nerves are being targeted.

The entire procedure will take less than an hour. Once the PRF treatment is completed, we’ll monitor you for up to two hours before discharging you home. You may have some discomfort at the site where the needle was inserted, but this is short-lived.

We’ll follow up to evaluate the level of pain relief achieved from PRF and make any necessary adjustments to your pain management treatment plan. 

If chronic pain from irritated nerves keeps you from enjoying your life, pulsed radiofrequency may be the next right step for you.

There are many pain management treatment options available to you. We’re here to help you understand what’s best for you and get you back to living your best-feeling life. 

Schedule a consultation with our pain-management specialists to get you the relief you deserve.