Treatment Options - Radiofrequency Neurotomy

Radiofrequency Neurotomy

Radiofrequency neurotomy is a treatment option for back and neck pain caused by the facet joints.

A minimally invasive outpatient procedure, radiofrequency neurotomy uses electricity to heat up a probe which severs the nerve supply to painful joints in the spine.

Radiofrequency neurotomy offers several distinct benefits as a pain-alleviating procedure. These include: the effects of this procedure typically last longer than steroid injections because the nerves re-grow in six months to two years; it avoids the side effects associated with the steroids used in injection therapy; and the nerves supplying sensations to the joints in the spine are more accessible than the joints themselves where steroids are injected.

Before the procedure, the physician injects pain medication into the spine, and the location of the injection is a candidate for radiofrequency neurotomy if the injection temporarily relieves the pain. The physician then inserts a special needle near the medial nerve of the facet joint to confirm the location using an electrode probe. The nerve is then deadened with thermal energy provided by radiofrequency.