Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)

Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) services offered in Worthington and Newark, OH

If conventional medical treatment hasn’t helped relieve chronic pain in your back, neck, hips, or knees, it’s time to consider radiofrequency ablation. At Interventional Pain Center in Worthington and Newark, Ohio, Sachida Manocha, MD, and the team specialize in using radiofrequency ablation to give you long-lasting pain relief. To learn if radiofrequency ablation is right for you, call the nearest office or request an appointment online today.

Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) Q & A

What is radiofrequency ablation?

Radiofrequency (RF) ablation is a minimally invasive procedure to relieve chronic pain. The team at Interventional Pain Center uses RF energy to create a wound on one or more nerves.

The wound blocks pain signals that normally travel through the nerve to your brain. When the message doesn’t reach your brain, that significantly reduces or eliminates your pain.

Most people get long-lasting pain relief after RF ablation. The results usually last at least nine months and can continue for up to two years. Eventually, the nerve regrows, and the effect wears off. Then you can get another RF ablation if needed.

What conditions improve with radiofrequency ablation?

Dr. Manocha and the team at Interventional Pain Center frequently use RF ablation to alleviate:

Back pain
Neck pain
Hip pain
Knee pain

However, they can target any nerve, including sensory nerves, as they enter the spinal canal. As a result, radiofrequency ablation is a good treatment choice for many types and causes of pain, from sports injuries and sciatica to neuropathy and joint pain.

What should I expect during radiofrequency ablation?

When you get your radiofrequency ablation, you lie down on a table that allows Dr. Manocha to take real-time X-rays. The X-rays provide a clear image of the targeted nerve and show the thin, hollow needle as they guide it to the nerve.

Once the radiofrequency needle is at the nerve, Dr. Manocha sends radiofrequency waves through the needle and into the nerve.

Treating the nerve only takes about 90 seconds, so Dr. Manocha can treat several nerves with RF energy during one appointment if needed.

You can walk around right after RF ablation. Some people experience immediate pain relief, but it can take a week or two for the full results to take effect.

To learn if you’re a good candidate for radiofrequency ablation, call Interventional Pain Center or request an appointment online today.