Radiofrequency ablation treats facet joint pain by using heat to interrupt the medial branch nerves that carry pain signals from the joint. A needle is guided to the nerve with fluoroscopy, local anesthetic is applied, and thermal energy creates a lesion that stops the signal. The procedure takes roughly thirty to ninety minutes, requires no incision and is done the same day, with driving avoided for twenty-four hours afterward. It is performed only after a diagnostic medial branch block or facet joint injection has confirmed the joints are the source. Relief commonly lasts six to twelve months, and the procedure can be repeated. Spine Institute of North America (Spine INA) in East Brunswick, New Jersey performs cervical and lumbar ablation.
The goal of a radiofrequency ablation is to prolong the relief received from a medial branch block or facet joint injection. Typically, the radiofrequency ablation relieves pain in the back for up to 6-12 months. Radiofrequency ablations are only performed once a patient receives pain relief from an injection and the appropriate source of pain has been identified.
What is a Radiofrequency Ablation?
A radiofrequency ablation interrupts the sensory signal to the involved facet joint through the use of thermal energy that ablates the nerves. After a local skin anesthetic is applied to the patient’s back, the physician guides a needle via fluoroscopy x-ray to the transverse process bone. The needle is positioned over the bone where the nerves are typically located. Thermal energy is then delivered to create a lesion on the nerve, thus disrupting the pain signal.