Chronic pain of any kind can be debilitating. When your body hurts, you not only want relief, but you also need an accurate diagnosis, so you can get the most effective treatment possible.
When you come in to see us at The Spine & Pain Center of California in Fremont and Pleasanton, we provide you with the highest level of expertise and care. Board-certified Navin Mallavaram, MD, QME, leads our team in interventional pain management where we offer radiofrequency ablation, which is one of the most innovative treatments on the market today.
We have advanced training in diagnosing and treating your pain, especially when it affects your back and neck. During your consultation with our team, we look at your symptoms to understand the root cause of your pain.
When to consider radiofrequency ablation
When you have chronic pain, you might suffer from restricted movement, in addition to muscle spasms. If your discomfort involves your nerves, you can experience weakness, tingling, or numbness in the affected area. You might also feel shooting, stabbing, or electrical jolts of pain and find yourself changing or adjusting your positions often to bring relief.
At The Spine & Pain Center of California, we take a nonsurgical approach to your healing with conservative methods of treatment. If other treatments, such as medication, physical therapy, or epidural injections aren’t working, we might recommend radiofrequency ablation.
How radiofrequency ablation works
Before your procedure, we perform diagnostic nerve testing to locate the exact nerve that’s causing your chronic pain. Then we give you medication to help you relax, and we use a local anesthetic to numb the affected area.
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA), or rhizotomy, uses heat to destroy specific nerve tissue to disrupt pain signals. When Dr. Mallavarm treats your back or neck, he uses a highly specialized X-ray called a fluoroscopy to help guide a very thin needle into your area of pain. He and the team then send tiny electrodes through the needle to disable your nerve tissue to stop them from sending pain signals to your brain.
The minimally invasive procedure only takes about 45 minutes, and you won’t need much downtime for recovery. We recommend a 24-hour period of rest, which includes no driving. You might feel mild pain or numbness in the treatment area, but this should fade quickly.
Why choose radiofrequency ablation
Studies show that RFA has a high success rate with more than 70% of men and women experiencing relief after treatment. You can also enjoy its benefits that include little recovery time, if any, plus pain relief within one to three weeks. You should also get your range of motion back.
RFA can cause your nerve tissues to regenerate, which provides pain relief, and in some cases, keeps it at bay forever. This method of treatment may last anywhere from six months to three years, depending on the cause of your discomfort.
If you suffer from chronic pain, contact us for an appointment at the office nearest you. We look forward to talking to you about RFA to find out if it’s the right solution for you.
