Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation of Cervical Nerves for the

Treatment of Chronic Pain

 

Chronic neck pain is a leading cause of disease in the United States,

with a mean one-year prevalence of 25.8% of the population.

Conservative treatment for neck pain includes physical therapy,

exercise, analgesics, anticonvulsants, muscle relaxants, and opioids.

Medical management of chronic pain has been associated with

unsuitable side effects and a risk of opioid dependence. Other

invasive interventions include steroid injections and surgery.

Many patients experience chronic pain refractory to conservative

treatment and would potentially benefit from minimally invasive

therapy for pain relief.

Cooled radiofrequency ablation (c-RFA) is a minimally invasive

therapy that uses thermal energy generated by electrical currents to

lesion the medial branches of the dorsal rami and disrupt the

transmission of pain stimuli to the brain.