Radiofrequency Ablation for Back Pain: Understanding the Pain It Treats

Not all back and neck pain comes from the same source. The location and character of your pain can provide important clues about what may be causing it—and different types of pain may require different treatment approaches.

What Does Facet Joint Pain Feel Like?

Facet-related pain can vary from person to person, but it is often described as:

• A deep, aching or sore feeling in the neck or back
• Pain that stays primarily in the neck or back
• Stiffness, particularly after sitting or resting
• Increased pain with standing for extended periods
• Pain with twisting, bending, or extending the spine

Facet pain is different from classic nerve pain; it typically does not follow a specific nerve pathway down an arm or leg. It is a type of pain that comes from the small joints located along the back of the spine, which help provide stability and allow the spine to bend and rotate. Facet joints can become painful due to arthritis, degeneration or inflammation. When a facet joint becomes a source of chronic pain, the nerves that carry sensation from that joint can continue sending pain signals to the brain.

Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) as a Facet Joint Treatment

A Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) is commonly used to treat facet joint-related pain. The goal of radiofrequency ablation is to reduce pain and improve function by interrupting pain signals from the targeted nerves. For example, someone may have arthritis in the spine that contributes to facet joint pain. RFA does not reverse the arthritis, but instead targets the nerves carrying pain signals from the affected joints.

Reducing these pain signals may allow patients to move more comfortably and participate more easily in normal activities or other aspects of their treatment plan.

RFA May Be Considered for:

• Chronic facet joint-related neck pain or low back pain
• Pain associated with degenerative changes of the facet joints
• Certain types of spinal arthritis-related pain
• Chronic pain that has been identified as coming from the facet joints

The specific criteria for RFA can vary based on the patient’s diagnosis, previous treatments, response to diagnostic blocks, and other clinical factors.

What About Shooting or Burning Pain?

Pain that feels shooting, burning, tingling, numb, or electric may have a different source. This type of pain can occur when a spinal nerve is irritated or compressed. Conditions such as a herniated disc or spinal stenosis can sometimes cause nerve-related symptoms that travel from the spine into an arm or leg.

Because this type of pain involves a spinal nerve or nerve root, RFA is generally not the primary treatment for nerve-root pain.  Depending on the diagnosis, treatment may include medications, physical therapy, epidural steroid injections, or other interventional treatments.

Finding the Right Treatment for Your Pain

The most important first step is determining where your pain is coming from.

Is it coming primarily from a facet joint?
Is a spinal nerve being irritated?

At Spine & Joint Pain Specialists, we provide a comprehensive evaluation to help identify the source of you pain and determine which treatment options may be appropriate.

If you are living with chronic neck or back pain, you don’t have to assume that all pain is treated the same way. Understanding the type and source of your pain is an important first step toward finding an appropriate treatment option. Call us today to learn more about your options!