Low back pain can occur for different reasons from sudden muscle spasms to herniated disc, from traumatic injuries to degenerative spinal diseases. Although relief can be achieved initially with rest, drug treatment and physical therapy applications, pain may continue from time to time and become chronic. In such cases, radiofrequency neurotomy or radiofrequency ablation method is one of the treatment alternatives offered to us by medical technology. The purpose of this method is to desensitize the nerve fibers that cause pain through the heat produced by radio waves and to temporarily inhibit the ability of the nerve tissue to transmit pain. In the method, radio waves are delivered to the targeted nerve fibers through special injectors. The procedure is performed under sterile conditions in the operating room environment. A special x-ray device called scope is used to place the injectors in the appropriate area. General anesthesia is not required. During this procedure, which is performed under sedation and local anesthesia in 20-30 minutes, the patient does not feel any pain and can be discharged after 2-3 hours of follow-up. The activity starts in a few days and increases significantly over the weeks.
Radiofrequency neurotomy relieves the pain temporarily. The effect can last 6-9 months, sometimes longer. During this period, the patient’s participation and comfort in physiotherapy applications increases significantly. The application can be repeated as needed. Apart from low back pain, this intervention stands out as a short, effective and reliable method in cases where surgical intervention is not considered or applied in many different orthopedic problems such as shoulder, hip and knee joint calcification pain, sacroiliac joint pain and heel spurs, and in cases resistant to medical treatment.
