Worried about getting a RFA(Radio Frequency Ablation or Nerve Burn)? Dry Needling could be your natural alternative.

One of the most common treatments done in pain management clinics for back and neck pain is the Radio Frequency Ablation procedure more commonly understood as burning the nerve. While it is considered a minimally invasive procedure, it does come with some downsides that make living an active life more difficult that often lead to further procedures including spinal surgery. Recent research seems to show that using an alternative therapy, dry needling, can be an effective alternative to RFAs without the downsides that we’ll talk about below. 

So, what exactly is a RFA and how is it supposed to work. A radio frequency ablation uses energy to cut the nerve to what is known as as the medial branch of the dorsal ramus or the nerve that connects to your facet joints(your spine at each level is made up of 3 joints at the low back and neck level: the disc and the facet joints). Usually before doing this, they’ll inject an anesthetic like lidocaine to determine the level that you’re experiencing symptoms from. In the short term, it is usually pretty effective, however follow up studies at 6 months show about 32% of people have relief while at 1 year, this number is down to 22%. Many studies found a limited short-term benefit that lasts approximately 10 months, with repeated RFA being necessary for continued success. In fact, placebo and RFA may have similar success rates at one year, with 29.3% of placebo control patients (i.e., the 5 mm electrode and cannula were inserted but not turned) experiencing a successful outcome versus 27.5% of those undergoing RFA.

There are a couple of reasons for this. First, often with chronic pain, there is a sensitization of not only the level treated with the RFA but levels above and below can also become sensitized. In addition, the nerve eventually grows back into the fact joint. Plus, the muscles of the spine are also served by this nerve that is burned by the RFA. This makes it so you can’t control that level of your spine with your back muscles(your multifidus) because it has been denervated. While denervated and inactive, the muscle tissue atrophies and is usually replaced with fat and scar tissue making it weaker and less likely to be able to help you have good posture and protect the spine often leading to more pain and likelihood of surgery later on including spinal fusions. 

So, what is dry needling and how can it  help? 

With dry needling, we use acupuncture needles to target tender muscles and sensitive joints in order to get the muscles to relax. In addition, dry needling coupled with electrical stimulation causes your body to release its own pain relieving chemicals and also allow for your medications to work better. It has been shown to be an effective option in the treatment of cluneal neuralgia, suboccipital headaches, and lumbar dorsal ramus syndrome and may work through reducing inflammation, improve local pH around the nerve, and desensitize the medial dorsal branch nerve. You can learn more about how it works here and here. What’s more is that once we ease your pain, at Body Mechanix, our Reset-Reinforce-Reload method then helps you keep the treatment improvements through your own personalized movement therapy to begin to improve sleep, walking, and getting back to the active life you deserve. 

Frequently Asked Questions about Dry Needling

Is it Safe

Yes, dry needling is used everyday and does not have the nasty side effects of opioids, doesn't weaken the joints like steroid shots, and often doesn't need to be done for years on end like injections. Often the only things somebody notices is some soreness from the muscles that were treated. We also supercharge our treatments by using electrical stimulation to your sore spots so you can feel improvement, often immediately.

Can I just have you do dry needling?

Dry needling works best when we do it with simple stretches and foundation fixing strength exercises that you can do with minimal equipment at home. At Body Mechanix, we teach you how to keep the healing going while you are in between treatments and is part of a natural and often pain free holistic plan of care to treat the whole you.

How do I know if it is right for me?

Find out if this is the right treatment option for you for absolutely free by scheduling a no-cost dry needling consultation with one of our dry needling  certified Doctors of physiotherapy. These are in limited supply and are on a first come first served basis.

Do I need a prescription?

No, in Florida you do not need a prescription to start.

What if I have more questions?

Learn more about Dry Needling Here and schedule your free consultation with one of our Dry Needling Experts. 

Confused about where to start? We got you covered! That’s why we offer free consultations to help you get to the root of why you are dealing with stiffness, pain, or just not performing the way you need to.

During one of our free consultations, the Recovery Strategy Session, we offer expert advice about the worry and frustration of life-changing aches and pains – for FREE, in under 30 minutes.

If this article describes your story and you are looking for some help with overcoming headaches,  we offer FREE consultations, which give you the opportunity to come in and meet us and see for yourself how we can help you.

Here are just a few of the things you will learn in one of our free consultation:

• What is the underlying cause of your pain? (hopefully nothing too serious!)

• Roughly, how long will it take to fix the problem?

• What to do to help – which doesn’t include painkillers, resting or surgery etc.

• What other, natural, drug free methods are there to speed up recovery alongside treatment?

Our consultations are great for anyone that may be “unsure” if physio is right for them, and they give you the opportunity to ask questions and see for yourself if we can help you.

If you’d like one of our limited free consultation sessions, please click here to request your Total Body Diagnostic or CALL us on 850-765-2779 to make a no-obligation enquiry.

About Dr. Brandon

Dr. Brandon is the owner and a Physio at Body Mechanix Physiotherapy and Fitness. Four of his favorite people call him daddy while he's been married to his other favorite person for 21 years. He enjoys teaching martial arts and is a Mestrando in Capoeira while in the mornings, he can be found working out with the guys in F3 around town.  He's the author of 4 pain relief guides for sciatica, low back, shoulder, and knees and the lead contributor to the Active Tallahassee Blog.