Radiofrequency Ablation, anyone have any information???

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redsilk

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On May 6th I'm going to have RFA done on both of my SI joint in hopes that the pain I have in both of my legs will be either eased for a while or not. There is a change that it won't do any good but there is always hope that I could be pain free for months. I would like to know anything that I can find out about this from someone who has had this done. I've read a few things on line but it gives the general outline of what is done but not the personal one. I know that everyone is different and we all react to things differently but the personal story is always the best information, I think. Any and all comments will be greatly appreciated.
 
ReRABilk,

Read my thread on Back Injection Procedures and if you have any questions after reading it I would be happy to answer them. Its in this forum a couple of pages back.

I've had 4 RFAs from C6 to L5 on both sides after they were all said and done. I'm far from pain-free but the RFAs have allowed me to restart physical therapy and this time its PT for the correct diagnosis. Previously I had PT that exacerbated my condition and "set back my recovery by possibly years" according to the doctors who made the correct diagnosis.

~Myo:angel:
 
I understand how this is supposed to work. What I was looking for is what to expect after it's done. I've gotten different stories. A few have told me that it very painful to have done. OK I'm sure that I can probably stand it but then they say that for 10 days to 2 weeks after that you had better have good pain meRAB because you'll be needing them. The place where you get this done is going to be really sore. I can't take narcotics. They and I don't get a long very well. The strongest that I take is Ultram which works OK for me along with ice and Lidoderm patches. I've been told that I have a high tolerance for pain. I guess my hubby is right, I worry to much but it easier for me to go into this knowing what to expect then going in being scared.
 
Hey there, i had an RFA done on both sides L2 - SI 1. Unfortunately, i cannot say that i received any relief from it, however, i have since had a discography that was positive so i think they reason i didn't get any relief is because it's my discs that hurt, and not my facet joints. The good news is though, that compared to the discography, the recovery time is minimal and when they did the second RFA, they dumped so much anesthetic in there that i actually had minimal pain for about 3 days. It was heaven. I wish you success from your RFA. I will tell you that it does take anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks to feel the relief so if you don't feel it right off, it doesn't mean it didn't work. It takes a while for the nerves to die. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
 
Well my upper back RFAs have been incredibly beneficial. My lower back is where my pain current resides for the most part. I can't say definitively that it s because the RFA's were unsuccessful though. Especially since I am now bicycling as my primary mode of transportation. Something that I haven't done since 2005. So I am using muscles I am not used to using and most every (but not all) thigh muscles have their origin in the lower back and insert somewhere along the femur, patella, or the top of the tibia or ulna.

So I am putting a lot of exertion on my lower back, but really don't have any other viable options currently. I can't afford to move closer to a mass transit route and my current cocktail of medications makes driving dangerous to not just myself but everyone else on the roadways.

So on the basis of all that information I would say that if your Basal Branch Nerve Blocks were beneficial then your RFA's will be a goRABend as long as you are 100% compliant with the doctor's post procedure directives!

~Myo :angel:
 
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