---
title: "Cold Radio Frequency Therapy"
url: https://alsuprun.com/blog/frequency-therapy/cold-radio-frequency-therapy/
author: "Editorial"
date: 2026-09-29T03:43:29+00:00
categories: ["frequency therapy"]
tags: []
---

# Cold Radio Frequency Therapy

Walking, squatting and using stairs are essential daily movements; but for people living with arthritis-related knee pain these movements may feel excruciatingly painful.

 Through a procedure known as COOLIEF* Cooled Radiofrequency Treatment, our pain management specialist can effectively stop nerves that transmit pain signals. This treatment provides an alternative to surgery for those not ready for it.

 

## What is Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)?

 RFA (radio frequency ablation) is a non-surgical pain treatment using heat to destroy nerve tissue, offering non-narcotic relief from facet arthropathy or herniated disc pain as well as chronic back and neck discomfort that does not respond to medications or physical therapy. RFA is completely safe without needing narcotics; in fact it can even be done as a day procedure under local anesthesia without an overnight hospital stay!

 [![Rejuvenate your whole body & balance your health without medications - now remotely!](https://alsuprun.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/BioresonanceTopAd.png)](https://www.bioresonance.rent) At this procedure, a pain medicine doctor uses an imaging device to locate the nerve responsible for pain. They insert a hollow needle into the area and conduct tests to ensure they have reached their destination; if a tingling sensation or muscle twitch are felt by their patient it means they have found it correctly. A local anesthetic injection follows before radiofrequency current is applied via needle into identified nerve to heat up and destroy it and prevent sending pain signals back to brain. The procedure can then be repeated on additional nerves as required.

 Coolief hip RFA is an effective treatment option to address hip pain caused by either the femoral nerve or obturator nerve, usually as part of day surgery under general anesthesia, with reduced hip discomfort lasting 12 months or longer afterward.

 RFA seeks to provide long-term pain relief, with facet RFA often providing multiyear relief. Studies have demonstrated its high success rates among people who do not respond well to other treatments. Diagnostic blocks performed prior to RFA help providers confirm the target nerve is the source of your discomfort and ensure your procedure will be successful.

 [![](https://alsuprun.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/ForeverYoungYouWannaBe.png)](https://alsuprun.com/services.html#Contact) 

## How is RF Ablation performed?

 If you’ve been struggling with chronic back pain and haven’t had success with physical therapy, medications, or injections, radiofrequency ablation could be your solution. This innovative treatment targets and disrupts specific nerve pathways that transmit pain signals, leading to significant relief for many individuals and a boost in overall functionality.

 Before your procedure, a pain specialist will review your medical history and diagnostic imaging to pinpoint the exact source of your pain. They will then create a plan designed with your unique needs in mind. During your procedure, you will lie down on the table with your arms extended out, so your doctor can place a small catheter in the area of your discomfort. This catheter is then connected to a small machine that creates heat through the use of radio waves. The heat is then used to destroy the end of the nerve that sends pain signals from your facet joints to your brain.

 Once the needle is in place, your doctor will inject a local anesthetic to ensure comfort. They will then guide a cannula, which is the tube that will lead to your painful nerves, using fluoroscopic or ultrasound guidance. The tip of the cannula will then be heated by the radio waves, which cauterizes and kills a portion of the painful nerve. This stops the nerve from sending pain signals to your brain, providing immediate relief.

 RFA is an outpatient procedure and you’ll return home shortly after your treatment. You’ll need to follow your doctor’s instructions for recovery, which may include avoiding any activities that could cause pain at the site of the injection. Typically, this means not lifting anything heavy or engaging in any strenuous activity for several weeks.

 After your recovery from RF ablation, our physical therapists will help you to strengthen your spine and encourage proper posture in order to prevent your pain from returning. Our team will also provide massage around the neck, shoulders, back, buttocks and hip areas to relieve any additional tight muscles that are contributing to your pain.

 It’s important to note that RFA is not a cure for pain, but it does offer lasting benefits as long as the targeted nerves don’t regenerate. For this reason, it’s essential that you continue working with your doctor and other pain management professionals to maintain a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise and proper posture.

 [![](https://alsuprun.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/RadionicMerch.png)](https://alsuprun.com/merch.html) 

## What are the Benefits of RF Ablation?

 RF ablation provides long-term pain relief by heating nerve endings to break them up and block their ability to transmit pain signals, providing significant pain relief that often lasts up to two years – especially helpful for chronic neck or spine conditions.

 RFA can also be performed non-invasively and outpatient, using local anesthesia and mild sedation. With imaging technology, Dr. Renk can pinpoint exactly where your source of discomfort lies before inserting a needle to target that location – helping minimize complications like nerve damage and recovery time while helping speed recovery time.

 Cooled radiofrequency ablation (CRAFA) is similar to traditional RF ablation, but with an additional cooling element provided by circulating water alongside the heated RF current. This allows Dr. Renk to treat larger areas more accurately while minimizing complications and discomfort for his patients.

 Cooled radiofrequency ablation provides long-term relief from chronic spine and neck conditions for those afflicted by discomfort, allowing patients to regain range of motion that had been compromised due to their discomfort – helping them return to work or other daily activities more quickly.

 As RF ablation targets specific nerves in the body, it provides an effective treatment option for many medical conditions. Most commonly used in treating chronic back or neck pain associated with facet joints in the spine – pair of small joints between vertebrae – which may become painful due to spinal trauma or degenerative changes associated with osteoarthritis (spondylosis or degenerative disc disease).

 Other medical conditions that can be treated using RF ablation include fibromyalgia and trigeminal neuralgia – two forms of pain known as neuropathic pain that involve abnormal impulses from the trigeminal nerve to the brain that produce facial or neck discomfort. As opposed to traditional surgeries, which involve risky surgeries that have long recovery times and side effects like numbness or bruising; minimally invasive solutions like RF ablation offer reduced risks, shorter recover times and no adverse side effects like side effects such as numbness or bruising.

 

## What are the Risks of RF Ablation?

 RF ablation is generally safe for most individuals and has minimal side effects; most often bruising and swelling at the injection site are temporary and should subside over a few days. Patients may experience numbness in areas where nerves were ablation while certain individuals may experience increased discomfort in areas that had nerve ablation performed; those who have issues with blood clotting may be more at risk than others for experiencing discomfort – talk with your physician to determine whether this procedure is the right choice for you.

 RF ablation is typically used to treat chronic back pain caused by arthritis in your facet joints (small joints between each vertebra that allow twisting and movement). When these joints develop arthritic symptoms, pain comes and goes depending on your activities; with RF ablation the goal is to destroy small nerves sending signals to your brain from these joints that send pain signals and reduce or eliminate your discomfort.

 RF ablation has many uses beyond just treating varicose veins. If a varicose vein is causing pain, or needs draining, using RF ablation instead of stripping can provide less invasive results with quicker recover times.

 As part of an RF ablation procedure, an anesthetic injection will be given to help decrease any discomfort. Once under anesthetic, a radiologist inserts an RF ablation device into your diseased veins and uses radiofrequency waves to heat their walls obliterating them with radiofrequency waves, potentially significantly decreasing varicose vein size and alleviating any associated pain. This treatment could significantly decrease or eliminate them altogether!

 Complications related to RF ablation may include damage to nearby nerves and bleeding at the injection site. Your radiologist will carefully monitor these risks.

 Before having an RF ablation procedure, it’s important to adhere to any instructions from your doctor, such as abstaining from eating or drinking anything for an agreed-upon amount of time beforehand.

 Vermont Sports Medicine Center can offer comprehensive rehabilitation programs after you undergo an RF ablation procedure, to manage and reduce pain while increasing mobility. Since your discomfort could stem from various structures in your neck or back, therapy will depend on what’s causing it.

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "Article",
    "headline": "Cold Radio Frequency Therapy",
    "url": "https://alsuprun.com/blog/frequency-therapy/cold-radio-frequency-therapy/",
    "datePublished": "2026-09-29T03:43:29+00:00",
    "dateModified": "2026-09-29T03:43:32+00:00",
    "author": {
        "@type": "Person",
        "name": "Editorial"
    },
    "publisher": {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Information Wellness Blog",
        "url": "https://alsuprun.com/blog/"
    }
}
```