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Radio waves can offer relief from back pain
Sufferers report drastic results from therapy
By Hannah Draeger Ross
For The Sun News
Lon Linke, as the master of ceremonies for the Dixie Stampede, is always in the spotlight.
Linke, who wears a trademark white Stetson cowboy hat, has rarely missed a performance during his 18 years with the Stampede. His work schedule includes 350-400 shows per year, and the skilled horseman and entertainer spends many of his working hours in the saddle.
His audience would never guess he used to suffer from severe lower back pain.
When the pain became almost unbearable recently, he searched for options that would not require major down time or major surgery. He saw Dr. Jason Rosenberg, a Murrells Inlet neurologist and surgeon at NextStep Pain Management Services whose practice is associated with the Georgetown Hospital System.
Rosenberg is among a growing number of physicians who are opting for pain management without constant narcotic medication or invasive surgery.
He offers radio frequency therapy to patients, along with more traditional treatments.
"The doctor can attest that I was literally cringing in pain when I came to him," Linke said. "I had no problem deciding on this procedure. Why? Because it did not require major surgery."
Using a new imaging technique with a tiny probe, Rosenberg located the areas where the pain level was the highest. The probe sent out radio waves to those areas. The pulsating therapy was designed to target the small nerves that supply the facet joints in the spinal area. The therapy essentially deactivates the nerve for a period of time.
So Lon Linke, a man almost crippled with pain, was able to hit golf balls the day after his first treatment.
"Lon was suffering from severe chronic pain," Rosenberg said the day after Linke's treatment. "He came in for his first treatment with us yesterday, and this morning he was able to play nine holes of golf."
Radio-frequency therapy acts like a dramatic light switch to switch off much of the pain. As soon as the initial treatments, many patients report a difference in how they feel.
"I am simply thrilled at the results," Linke said. "I had no idea what to expect."
He is to return for additional treatments.
The New England Journal of Medicine published a 1996 study that showed patients undergoing radio-frequency treatment were relieved of 50 percent of their pain for a median of 263 days, compared to eight days for a placebo group that received a local anesthetic.
The treatment takes about 30 minutes. After a few weeks of treatment, the targeted nerves have been deadened and the pain lessened, Rosenberg said.
After a period of time most nerves will grow back and the pain may even return to a minor degree, he said.
The treatments can be repeated. Time frames for pain relief vary. Some patients have gone for years between treatments, other only a few months.
Most insurance companies cover radio-frequency treatment. However, patients should check to see if preauthorization is needed.
Complications of radio-frequency denervation are uncommon but can occur, Rosenberg said. They include pain or discomfort around the injection site, numbness of the skin in the same area, increased pain from muscle spasm in the injection area and even permanent nerve pain and allergic reactions. There have been rare cases when an infection has occurred as well.
Rosenberg said pain management techniques are improving.
"I feel good when my patients tell me the pain is gone," he said. "That makes my day."
Source: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com