If a radiofrequency ablation doesn’t help your pain, there may be other options for pain management.
Radiofrequency ablation is a procedure that uses an electrical current on a nerve to try to reduce pain. Just like the name states, the procedure uses radio waves to produce an electrical current, which then ablates, or erodes, the nerve. It’s minimally invasive and long-lasting, so it’s a very helpful option for people experiencing chronic pain.
With this procedure, the goal is that by targeting the nerve—which sends out pain signals to your brain—the amount of pain you are experiencing will decrease. It works by essentially “turning off” the pain signal from that nerve to your brain. However, radiofrequency ablation works differently for every person.
Here’s what you need to know if radiofrequency ablation has not seemed to help your pain.
How Long Does Radiofrequency Ablation Take to Work?
One of the most important things you should know about radiofrequency ablation is that the pain relief effects from the procedure are not always immediate. For many people, pain relief will start to kick in around 10 days after having the procedure. However, for some people, it can take up to two or three weeks after the procedure for noticeable relief to begin. You may even experience a small amount of increased pain in the days immediately following the procedure, due to the nerves being irritated; but that is a normal will decrease with time.
If you have just had the procedure done, and are worried that it wasn’t successful, your doctor may recommend that you wait a few more weeks to see if you experience any relief from your pain symptoms. In some cases, the procedure may be repeated to ensure that the nerves sending out the pain signals were targeted effectively.
The success rate of radiofrequency ablation is high—it has been shown to help up to 70% of people find pain relief. It’s been found to be the most successful in people who are experiencing pain in their neck, spine, lower back, and in their joints from arthritis.
What Comes After Radiofrequency Ablation
Following your procedure and waiting the full recovery time of over three weeks, if it is clear that the radiofrequency ablation was not successful in relieving your pain, you do have several options. You should consult with your pain management specialist, who may recommend one of the following courses of action:
- Repeat the procedure. In some cases, the nerves targeted in the procedure may grow back, so your pain will return. If the radiofrequency ablation relieved your pain temporarily, but then returned after a few months, it may be beneficial to repeat the procedure.
- Manage lingering pain. Some people who have radiofrequency ablation will experience some pain relief, but not full relief of their symptoms. In these cases, a plan of action may include managing the pain that you do have left after the procedure with things like medication or physical therapy.
- Treat the underlying cause. One of the benefits of radiofrequency ablation is that it can provide pain relief that was a result of an injury, allowing you to work to correct or heal the injury with less pain. If your pain was the result of an injury, your pain management specialists can help you come up with a plan to correct the underlying cause of the pain, so that when the effects of the procedure wear off in 12-24 months, you can experience more lasting relief.
Radiofrequency ablation is considered one of the “last lines” of defense for chronic pain relief and management, used only after trying other conventional pain relief strategies such as physical therapy, local nerve blocks, or medication. Because of this, if you have not found relief from your pain symptoms, it’s important to consult with a pain management specialist who is familiar with the procedure and can help you find other options for pain management.
Please give us a call to talk about how we can help you manage your pain. Tulsa Pain Consultants is a pain management practice in Oklahoma that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain. We are dedicated to helping those who are suffering find the relief they deserve. Our team uses a balanced approach by incorporating minimally invasive, outpatient procedures, complementary and alternative medicine, and medication to help patients take control of their pain. Call 855-918-PAIN or click on our “Request an Appointment” tab to meet with one of our talented pain management specialists today!
The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.