Radiofrequency Ablation

RFA Is Contraindicated in Cases of Spinal Instability

RFA is a technology that destroys nerves that carry pain signals from damaged joints in the back or neck. Despite its widespread use, there’s been an ongoing controversy regarding how it impacts muscular stability in the spine. Hence, it’s reasonable to ask whether RFA should be used when spinal instability is present. Let’s dive into…read more

Radiofrequency Neurotomy of the Knee: What Could Go Wrong?

Radiofrequency is a technology I’ve covered many times on this blog. It’s basically a way for doctors to burn away the nerves causing pain. It’s becoming increasingly popular in the knee, so let’s review that today. In addition, we’ll review combing RF of the knee nerves with orthobiologics and whether that makes sense. What is…read more

Regenerative vs. Ablative: The Battle Over Lumbar RFA and Multifidus Atrophy

Medicine advances because advocates for various treatments duke it out in the research literature. That time-honored system produces an intellectual Darwinism effect and one of those evolutionary battles happening in pain medicine is between opposing regenerative and ablative camps. Today we’ll dive into one example of that conceptual crucible by focusing on little muscles in…read more

What Is a Proper Diagnostic Block Headache Work-up?

There are so many structures in the neck and head that can cause headaches that it’s almost tough to find them all and put them on a big list. However, after having many patients with chronic headaches come into the office and claim that after a simple Occipital Nerve Block that they have had a…read more

Should You Get Knee Nerve Ablation?

On this page: What is nerve ablation used to treat? What does nerve ablation do? What are the types of RFA procedures? Does knee nerve ablation work? How long does it take for a nerve ablation to work? How long do the effects of a nerve ablation last? Do you need a diagnostic block? What…read more

We Should Never Be Proud of MRIs That Show Holes Burned in Patient’s Bodies…

A new study was recently published on a new treatment for back pain due to degenerative discs. Ordinarily, I would be excited, as what’s not to like about another treatment option for back-pain patients. However, the problem with this one is that it works by blasting a hole in the vertebrae? Yep, you heard that…read more

Radiofrequency Ablation for Back Pain Reviews: Is It a Good Idea?

On this page: What is radiofrequency ablation (RFA)? What are the pros and cons of RFA? Does radiofrequency ablation treat back pain? Radiofrequency has recently resurfaced in the medical news, but are there any reliable radiofrequency ablation for back pain reviews?  Many years ago, I learned how to use radiofrequency ablation (RFA). The good news…read more

Rhizotomy Side Effects: Killing Off Important Stabilizers

Radiofrequency ablation or RFA (also known as rhizotomy) has become a mainstay of low back pain treatment in the U.S. and elsewhere. However, what if the list of rhizotomy side effects held a secret that most patients never knew about nor were informed of as a possibility. What if everyone who got a successful RFA…read more