Radiofrequency Neurotomy Treatment
Radiofrequency neurotomy is a procedure often used to treat pain in the facet joints of the spine. This pain can be stubborn and may not respond to medications and physical therapy, making this minimally invasive procedure a helpful addition to many patients’ treatment regimens. Pain Care, which serves the entire Metro Atlanta, Georgia, area, offers these procedures for patients with facet syndrome.
At Pain Care, our focus is on providing our patients with meaningful pain relief while avoiding invasive surgery, including spine surgery. For this reason, we are proud to perform radiofrequency neurotomy as an outpatient procedure that requires little to no downtime. Radiofrequency neurotomy consists of the following steps:
- Using medication to relax the patient and numb the affected area of the back
- Gently inserting a tiny tube into an incision on the back, using a fluoroscope (a machine that displays moving X-rays) to ensure that the physician is in the right spot to begin treatment
- Inserting a small electrode through the tube, and giving a weak electric shock to determine if the physician has targeted the precise area causing symptoms
- Using the electrode to heat up the affected nerve, inhibiting its ability to send pain signals to the brain, and thereby alleviating the patient’s pain
Although the physician may need to treat several nerves for a patient to feel a difference, once the radiofrequency neurotomy is over, the recovery is simple. The patient will have bandages applied on the affected skin, and he or she will be watched by our staff to ensure everything is going as planned before being allowed to leave. Anyone having a minimally invasive procedure performed at one of our Atlanta, GA, locations should plan for someone else to drive them home. Also, experiencing soreness in the incision area following radiofrequency neurotomy is common. Most patients experience pain relief gradually, often over weeks, with the results lasting for months.
If you’d like to learn more about radiofrequency neurotomy and the advantages of choosing to visit one of Pain Care’s locations in the Metro Atlanta, GA, area, contact us today. We can answer your questions and can usually schedule you for an appointment within 48 hours.
