Radio frequency heating heats a localized area that’s been affected by pain-inducing tissue to block pain signals that travel from that spot to your brain.
Your doctor will administer light sedation and local anesthesia before using x-rays to ensure needles do not near motor nerves.
After your procedure, it may cause temporary tingling; this should subside within 24-48 hours. When combined with microneedling, radiofrequency can help tighten skin considerably.
How It Works
Radio frequency treatment uses a device that emits heat through radio waves to stimulate collagen and elastin production in your skin, leading to new cell growth while tightening existing skin, helping with face and body contouring, fine line reduction and wrinkle reduction as well as fat cell shrinkage in problem areas like arms, belly, knees and buttocks. RF skin tightening rejuvenation treatments are suitable for all skin types, tones and ages and even on sensitive areas like eyes and lips.
If you decide to have cosmetic radio frequency treatment, your dermatologist will first assess if the procedure is right for you by reviewing your medical history and outlining all of its details to you. They will also answer any of your queries regarding it. Once this decision has been made, a short test on the area you plan to receive radiofrequency ablation will take place to make sure that it is safe and effective; during this stage numbing medication will be injected to numb any painful areas and ensure no motor or sensory nerves are affected during this stage – both under doctors’ watchful observation by medical staff monitoring pain levels while checking no motor nerves or sensory nerves are affected during this phase.
Radiofrequency ablation involves having health care provider guide needles through your skin or an incision directly into the cancerous area, then use imaging tests to make sure they are positioned correctly and don’t hit other tissues. Once they’re confident the needles are correctly in position, radiologist will apply high frequency electrical energy to destroy cancerous cells.
Radiofrequency neurotomy (RFN), another form of RF therapy, can effectively relieve pain caused by spinal arthritis (spondylosis), sacroiliac joint issues and neck or back discomfort. Radio waves create a heating effect within nerve tissue to temporarily stop sending pain signals back to your brain.
Robert Schwarcz, MD, an award-winning board certified oculofacial plastic surgeon, notes that radio frequency treatment has become more and more popular because it delivers natural results without surgery or injections. “Radio frequency gives more subtle results than injectables,” according to him, with radio waves helping plump skin while simultaneously smoothing wrinkles away for healthy-looking results with no downtime afterwards. “Radio frequency has become an ideal way of rejuvenating facial features without surgery or downtime.”
Getting Started
If you are suffering from chronic neck or back pain, radiofrequency ablation could be an option worth exploring. This treatment involves heating up tissue around the pain-impacted area to create a heat lesion on a specific nerve that prevents it from sending pain signals back to your brain.
After receiving treatment, your body will naturally regenerate damaged tissue with new collagen to reduce or even eliminate pain altogether. This noninvasive outpatient service typically is offered as an outpatient service and your doctor will explain all aspects of it in detail and answer any queries prior to starting.
Before beginning radiofrequency ablation, your doctor will perform a diagnostic screening to ascertain if it’s the best course for you. A blood or imaging test may be required before your appointment and, should any health condition interfere with results, another option might be recommended instead.
Anesthesia will be provided during your procedure to keep any discomfort at bay; however, you will remain awake and be able to respond to requests made by your physician in order to ensure as precise a treatment as possible.
After your RFA procedure, it’s important to rest for 12-24 hours afterward and take it easy for two days after that. That means no hot yoga classes and postponing trips to steam room/infrared sauna; also avoid applying pressure directly onto affected area or applying any direct force while taking Ibuprofen may help relieve pain and swelling.
Results of radio frequency ablation will become evident over the following months, revealing smoother skin in your treated area while scars or stretch marks become less prominent. While the results are long-lasting, periodic treatments might be required in order to maintain them.
If you are ready to undertake this safe and effective treatment, schedule a consultation at NYU Langone. Our highly-skilled doctors offer excellent medical attention aimed at relieving pain and increasing mobility with this innovative technology. Give us a call or book online now.
During Treatment
Radiofrequency ablation uses radio waves to heat cancer cells, killing them off and stopping their spread or growth. Your healthcare provider will use a needle electrode to deliver this heat directly onto your tumour – they may need to apply heat over more than one nerve to ensure a successful ablation treatment plan.
Your provider will apply a small dose of numbing medication before inserting radiofrequency needles using an X-ray machine called a fluoroscope, so as to target only nerves rather than nearby structures like ligaments or blood vessels.
As part of your procedure, a healthcare provider will carefully observe your symptoms to see whether there has been any change. When they have verified that treatment has worked, the needles will be taken out and bandaged around your injection sites; any soreness should subside after several days; you can reduce discomfort by placing an ice pack over them several times daily for 20 minutes each time.
Under light sedation, this procedure usually lasts only about an hour before patients can expect to go home afterward. Before beginning, your physician will evaluate your medical history and previous imaging studies to identify an ideal site for ablation – often performed by a physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) specialist, though other types of medical professionals such as neurology or radiology specialists could perform it too.
This procedure is most often utilized to relieve back and neck pain, though it can also help alleviate symptoms in larger joints like knees, hips and shoulders. Patients are usually referred to this service by their doctors when medications or other treatments haven’t proved successful in alleviating discomfort. As the application of skin numbing medication takes some time to take effect, so arrive early at your appointment time and bring a friend or family member who will drive you home after your appointment has concluded.
After Treatment
Radiofrequency ablation, also known as RFA, involves using imaging tests to guide a needle or electrode into your tumour and heat it with radio waves until its temperature reaches high enough to destroy any cancerous cells present. You may undergo RFA alone or combine it with other forms of treatment like surgery or chemotherapy.
A doctor will use either CT scanning or ultrasound imaging to guide a small needle into your cancerous tumor. They may need to place multiple needles if it’s large enough, or there are multiple spots. When receiving RFA treatments, an anaesthetic may be prescribed in order to relieve pain while other drugs might also help relax or keep you awake during procedures.
After treatment, you may experience temporary discomfort; however, most should return to their regular activities shortly thereafter. Please allow nerves time to regenerate and stop sending pain signals before returning.
If your doctor thinks radiofrequency therapy (RF) could help, they’ll schedule an appointment at their clinic – typically one week in advance of your procedure – where they’ll give more details about what you should expect on that day.
Your care team will ask you to wear a hospital gown and lie on an X-ray table, with an IV in your hand or arm to administer medication throughout the procedure. Someone should accompany you home afterward – please remember not to consume anything for four hours beforehand!
RFA does carry some risk of bleeding during and after treatment, though this is rare. Your physician and nurses will monitor you carefully during and after RFA and do their best to stop any bleeding if it should occur.
RF therapy’s effects can last months to years depending on its location, nerve regeneration timeframes, and whether pain signals stop being transmitted by targeted nerves. If pain returns after receiving an RF treatment on one nerve or through other procedures such as facet injection, additional treatments such as facet injection may help.
