Radiofrequency Ablation Specialist
Radiofrequency Ablation services offered in Twin Falls, ID
When medication fails to ease your pain, you may want to consider radiofrequency ablation (RFA). This minimally invasive procedure heats and destroys the nerves that send the pain signals to your brain, providing long-term relief. The team at Southern Idaho Pain Institute in Twin Falls, Idaho, uses many minimally invasive interventional pain management procedures to help patients get relief from pain, including radiofrequency ablation. To find out more about radiofrequency ablation, call the office or schedule an appointment online today.
Radiofrequency Ablation Q & A
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA), also known as radiofrequency neurotomy, is a minimally invasive pain management treatment that heats nerves to stop them from transmitting pain signals to the brain.
RFA can provide long-term relief for patients suffering from chronic pain conditions.
The team at Southern Idaho Pain Institute often recommends minimally invasive procedures like RFA to help patients get relief from pain so they can get back to living their life.
Your pain management specialist at Southern Idaho Pain Institute determines if you’re a candidate for radiofrequency ablation after a consultation. The team uses the minimally invasive procedure to treat many pain conditions, including:
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Knee pain
- Chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
- Arthritis pain
If you have a chronic pain condition the team thinks might benefit from RFA, they first perform a nerve block injection. If you get significant relief from your pain with this injection, then they proceed with the minimally invasive procedure.
The Southern Idaho Pain Institute team performs your radiofrequency ablation at their state-of-the-art ambulatory surgical center. First, you receive medication that helps you relax.
You then lie on an X-ray table, and your provider injects a local anesthetic to numb the area undergoing the RFA. Using X-ray guided-imaging, your provider inserts a microelectrode needle into the area near the nerve undergoing ablation. Then, they administer the radiofrequency energy.
They heat the nerve for about 90 seconds and may treat more than one nerve during your procedure.
Most patients can walk after radiofrequency ablation. However, you must arrange to have someone drive you home and plan to take it easy the rest of the day. You should be able to get back to most of your usual activities the day after your radiofrequency ablation.
You may have some pain at the site of your RFA for a few days, but you should feel relief from your chronic pain condition. Though results vary, RFA may keep you pain-free (or nearly pain-free) for several months.
To find out more about radiofrequency ablation, call Southern Idaho Pain Institute or schedule an appointment online today.