Why radiofrequency treatments?
Radiofrequency (RF) treatments are often prescribed after intermittent anesthetic injections no longer provide adequate or extended pain relief. Patients often experience significant and rapid reduction or elimination of pain from RF treatments.
How long do they last?
Patients undergoing RF treatments experience pain relief that can last three to 12 months and in some cases, even longer.
Am I a candidate for such treatment?
Ask your physician to refer you to a chronic care specialist like those at the Rothbart Centre for Pain Care to find out if radiofrequency treatments could help relieve your chronic pain.
Radiofrequency Treatments
What are radiofrequency treatments?
Utilization of radiofrequency current to destroy signal transmission in selected nerve fibers to effectively block pain signals to the brain, reducing or eliminating pain.
Why radiofrequency treatments?
Radiofrequency (RF) treatments are often prescribed after intermittent anesthetic injections no longer provide adequate or extended pain relief. Patients often experience significant and rapid reduction or elimination of pain from RF treatments.
How long do they last?
Patients undergoing RF treatments experience pain relief that can last three to 12 months and in some cases, even longer.
Am I a candidate for such treatment?
Ask your physician to refer you to a chronic care specialist like those at the Rothbart Centre for Pain Care to find out if radiofrequency treatments could help relieve your chronic pain.
Neck and back (lumbar) pain are common complaints for many adults aged 50 or older. Frequently caused by arthritis, this type of chronic pain is brought on when disc and cartilage degeneration results in inflammation or irritation of the surrounding nerves, which in turn transmits pain signals to the brain.
At the Rothbart Centre for Pain Care in Ontario, many patients are finding relief from debilitating chronic pain of the neck and lower back with radiofrequency treatments. Depending on the symptoms, location, and severity of the pain, doctors at the Rothbart Centre might prescribe either radiofrequency neurolysis (RFN) or pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) to treat pain that is transmitted through sensory nerves.
“If you haven’t experienced such pain, you can’t possibly imagine what it’s like to live with such a condition,” says Dr. Vladimir Djuric, a Rothbart Centre physician who is board certified in both Pain Medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. “Patients tend to experience more frequent, prolonged and intense episodes of pain that at some point just ceases going away. These conditions can be quite debilitating and are quite common, especially in older patients.”
RFN utilizes heat to destroy selected nerve fibers to effectively block pain signals to the brain, which can reduce or eliminate various types of pain, particularly back and neck pain. During a minimally invasive procedure, a tiny puncture is made in the skin and a small electrode is introduced that uses a radiofrequency current to heat up and disable the involved nerve. RFN is often prescribed after intermittent anesthetic injections fail to provide adequate or extended pain relief. Patients often experience significant and rapid reduction or elimination of pain from the RF treatment. Proven safe and effective as a treatment for some forms of chronic pain, patients undergoing RF treatments experience pain relief that can last six to 12 months and in some cases, even longer.
Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) is an alternative to standard radiofrequency in that it applies radiofrequency energy with a pulsed time cycle that delivers short bursts of current instead of a continuous flow. The intermittent application allows the tissue to cool slightly between each pulse, keeping the temperature very low, which reduces the risk of harming nearby tissue and preventing long-term damage to the nerve.
Radiofrequency procedures can take just 15-45 minutes from start to finish. Patients often experience relief once the procedure-related inflammation resolves. “Radiofrequency treatments are indicated for a specific type of pain. As our understanding and experience with this modality expands, we are utilizing it to treat a wider range of problems,” says Dr. Djuric. “We’re seeing a greater degree of lasting pain relief for many of these patients, leading to a real difference in their quality of life.”
“When a patient comes to the Centre suffering from chronic pain, a thorough evaluation allows us to make a preliminary diagnosis. Based on this diagnosis, additional diagnostic testing may be necessary. In turn, a treatment plan is formulated and executed. Here, we have the qualified doctors, facilities, and tools necessary to properly treat this patient population. Although we can’t help everyone, in most cases these patients will achieve much less pain, and in some cases no pain at all. Facilitating such a dramatic improvement is the most rewarding part of this job,” says Dr. Djuric.
Dr. Vladimir Djuric is board-certified in both Pain Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and is also a certified Independent Medical Examiner. He completed his residency at the Ohio State University Hospitals and a fellowship in Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine at Louisiana State University Medical Center, where he trained with world renowned experts in Spine Medicine. He has recently been appointed as a clinical assistant professor at McMaster University, and as a clinical instructor at The Ohio State University Hospital. Dr. Djuric is a frequent guest lecturer on topics including spinal pain, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Syndrome. He joined the Rothbart Centre in 2012.
The Rothbart Centre for Pain Care is a Toronto-based medical treatment centre specializing in the management and treatment of chronic pain of the head, neck, face and back. Our caring doctors specialize in interventional treatments and minimally invasive techniques that can offer healing relief to patients suffering from everything from chronic headaches to degenerative joint disease. We offer advanced, clinically proven solutions to achieve the best outcomes for chronic pain patients so that they can live healthier, happier and more successful lives.
