will radio frequency help reduce my pain

Fusion in the presence of severe stenosis is stupid, I say so empirically. I asked the surgeon to fuse me in flexion, he declined. He makes a very good and exciting living traveling around the world teaching technique to other surgeons, but he is stupid in my book. I was egregiously undermedicated post-op, my children were frightened to observe me. The lovely nurses draggged me on my wound in bed. They were bewildered when I screamed "Don't you ever do that to anybody!" I was so out of it, in so much pain, defensless without an advocate. I did report it to the department head sometime later, she assured me that inservising was ongoing...It was in fact necessary to fuse based on the through the ceiling pain I experienced with a discogram and the disc wall being incompetent, leaking in multiple directions. They get all happy proclaiming "the fusion is solid" as though that then resolves their incompetence. truth be told, I have a Brandigan cage (sp?) and he was on a panel discussion published in Spine several years back. They all agreed that x-rays (although the standard of the industry) are not the final say in whether something is fused with bony growth. It requires a CAT scan or can be evaluated with surgical exploration (rarely indicated). So worse after the fusion and 3 years later a neurosurgeon reamed out the central and lateral canals, miraculous. Same surgeon who saved the Magician Roy Horn. Brilliant. I advocate neurosurgeons for spinal surgical problems. Please do not give up, I promise you that there is hope. Will RF help? Maybe. Do you have fused stenosis?

I had to move out of state to get a proper post fusion evaluation. Sad.

Jerry hesch

I too have exactly what you have. Finally found through a therapist the wonder of botox.  It is injected under use of a machine (sorry don't know name) that with frequency determines the best place for injection. I have been without for two years fighting with an insurance company, but finally am getting it again today. It will take a couple to get nerve under control, but for three months, yes months I will have almost a normal life. The pain subsides so greatly that I can get off pain meds almost completely.

Good luck

I had RFA - radio frequency ablation for  acute pain in my shoulder blade, and had almost instant relief and was free of pain for 8 months. I had 3 treatments, and all gave me complete pain relief. However, there is no one now who will do it. I am searching for a clinic where they do the treatment, either in Ottawa, Toronto or Montreal.

wanderer

Canada

I have been receiving radio frequency for chronic horrible pain in my low back for many years, every 6 months and get about 75% relief for about 5 of those months. I recommend it, as I truly believe I'd be in a wheelchair without it. In fact, my chiropractor, who never curses, claims I have the  "low back from hell" There you go... nothing else helps like radio frequency. Painful while you're going through it as there are so many needles, and burning, but well worth it! Ann