Is Radiofrequency Ablation a Temporary Treatment?

Are you suffering from back, neck, or other joint pain? Perhaps you have arthritis that’s progressed to the point where your daily activities are limited. You’re seeking relief from the chronic pain. 

Our expert pain management staff with Apollo Pain Management has a variety of tools available to ease chronic pain when conservative methods haven’t worked. Our goal is to improve your quality of life by reducing or eliminating your pain. 

If your board-certified Apollo Pain Management expert thinks your pain is caused by a nerve, they perform a test called a nerve block. If you experience relief when your provider numbs a certain nerve, then you may be a good candidate for radiofrequency ablation. 

What is radiofrequency ablation, and how does it ease my pain?

Radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that uses heat to destroy an area of the nerve that’s causing your chronic pain. When radiofrequency waves hit the nerve tissue, they damage the nerve. Once that part of the nerve is gone, it can no longer send pain signals to your brain. You experience relief.

Advantages of radiofrequency ablation

Because radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive procedure, it has numerous advantages over surgery if it works for you. There’s very little recovery time needed for this treatment. You can go home after the procedure and just take it easy for a couple of days. 

If you qualify for radiofrequency ablation, you don’t have invasive surgery requiring a recovery period. There’s no risk from anesthesia, nor are there complications from surgery. Best of all, you have pain relief. You may be able to stop relying on medication that only masks the pain. 

Is radiofrequency ablation a temporary treatment? 

Most people have some response to radiofrequency ablation, but the degree of relief varies greatly, depending on the cause and location of the pain. If you experience relief, it could occur very soon after the procedure, or it could take up to three weeks for you to feel a difference. 

If the procedure works for you, you may get relief for anywhere from 6 to 12 months; some people experience relief for even longer periods. 

Because a nerve is involved, it can begin to grow again. If it does, you’ll know sometime around 6 to 12 months, when you start feeling more pain. If radiofrequency worked for you once, it can work for you again. We can repeat the procedure to give you relief. 

Call Apollo Pain Management or book an appointment online today at our Bradenton or Sun City Center, Florida, office for expert treatment to relieve your chronic pain.