Radiofrequency Ablation for Pain: How Nerve Ablation Works and Who It Helps

The clip runs about forty seconds. A woman in her sixties, filmed in a parking lot, says she walked into a pain clinic bent sideways and walked out upright, and that a doctor had ‘burned the nerve’ in her back. The video has millions of views, and the comments are a tangle of hope, doubt and people asking where to sign up.

That is a fair snapshot of why radiofrequency ablation is trending as of mid-2025. Search interest has climbed alongside two real shifts: knee specialists are offering the technique to people with arthritis who are not ready for a joint replacement, and thyroid clinics are using the same heat-based tool to shrink benign nodules. Social media has done the rest.

The procedure is neither miracle nor gimmick. It is a decades-old technique with a specific job, a short list of people it suits, and evidence that ranges from strong to thin depending on where in the body you point the needle. Here is the honest version.

What is radiofrequency ablation, and what does RFA stand for?

RFA stands for radiofrequency ablation. The term unpacks neatly. Radiofrequency refers to an alternating electrical current in the range of a few hundred kilohertz, the same band used by radio transmitters. Ablation means deliberately destroying or disabling a small piece of tissue. Put together, the technique sends a radiofrequency current through the tip of a needle-like probe, where it agitates water molecules in nearby tissue and generates heat. The target is a nerve, and the goal is to interrupt the nerve’s ability to send pain signals to the brain.

Pain specialists often prefer the words radiofrequency neurotomy or denervation, which simply mean cutting off the nerve supply with heat. All three names describe the same procedure.

The nerves chosen for ablation are small sensory branches rather than the large nerves that move your legs or control your bladder. The classic example is the medial branch nerve. A medial branch is a tiny nerve, thinner than a strand of spaghetti, that carries sensation from a facet joint, one of the paired hinge joints at the back of each spinal segment. It carries no meaningful motor function, which is exactly why it can be safely silenced.

Think of the arrangement as a doorbell. The arthritic joint keeps pressing the button. Ablation does not fix the joint; it disconnects the wire so the ringing stops. The analogy also explains the main limitation. Wires, in this case nerves, regrow, and the bell eventually rings again.

Heat is not the only form of ablation. Cold probes (cryoablation) and chemical agents exist, but radiofrequency is by far the most studied for chronic joint-related pain, and it is what the viral videos are describing.

What changed recently

Three developments explain the current surge of interest, and none of them is a sudden breakthrough.

The first is a slow reckoning with the evidence for spinal use. A 2015 Cochrane systematic review pooled 23 randomized trials of radiofrequency denervation for chronic low back pain and judged the overall evidence low quality, with benefits that were often small and short-lived. Two years later, a set of pragmatic Dutch trials known collectively as the MINT study, published in JAMA in 2017 and involving 681 patients, found that adding ablation to an exercise program produced no clinically important improvement at three months. Critics pointed out that MINT selected patients loosely, using a single diagnostic block with a low bar for relief. The debate pushed specialty societies toward stricter patient selection, and a 2020 multispecialty consensus guideline on lumbar facet joint interventions formalized that approach.

The second shift is anatomical. Over the past several years the technique has migrated from the spine to the knee. Genicular nerve ablation, which targets the sensory nerves wrapping around the knee joint, has gained traction for people with osteoarthritis who are too young, too unwell or simply unwilling to have a replacement. Randomized trials since 2018 have been more encouraging here than in the lumbar spine, which is partly why orthopedic practices now mention it on their websites.

The third is thyroid. Regulators in several countries have cleared radiofrequency devices for shrinking benign thyroid nodules, and endocrinology clinics have begun offering it as an alternative to surgery. That is a different use with a different evidence base, and we will separate the two later rather than let them blur together the way search results tend to.

Which pain problems does radiofrequency ablation treat?

The procedure works best when a specific, small nerve carries most of the pain from a specific joint. That rules in a shorter list than most people expect.

Facet joint pain in the lower back is the most common indication. Facet joints are lined with cartilage, and like any other joint they wear, swell and ache. The pain is usually felt across the low back and buttocks, worse with leaning backward or twisting, and it rarely travels below the knee. Estimates from diagnostic block studies suggest facet joints account for roughly 15 to 40 percent of chronic low back pain in adults, with the proportion rising with age.

Neck facet pain, including some chronic pain after whiplash injury, is the second classic target. One of the earliest and still most cited randomized trials, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1996, tested cervical ablation against a sham procedure and found the median time until pain returned was 263 days in the treated group versus 8 days in the placebo group.

Sacroiliac joint pain, arising where the spine meets the pelvis, is also treated, though the nerve supply is more scattered and results are more variable.

Beyond the spine, the knee is now the fastest-growing site. Hip, shoulder and occipital nerve ablation for certain headaches are offered in some centers with thinner evidence.

What radiofrequency ablation does not treat matters just as much. It is not designed for pain from a pinched nerve root, so sciatica with leg weakness or numbness is not an indication. It does not address disc herniation, spinal stenosis or widespread pain conditions such as fibromyalgia. A clinician who proposes it for pain that does not map to a small sensory nerve is working outside the evidence.

How is radiofrequency ablation done? The RFA procedure for back pain, step by step

Nothing about the day resembles surgery. Most people arrive, have the procedure in a fluoroscopy suite and leave within a couple of hours.

The process begins weeks earlier with a diagnostic nerve block. A diagnostic block is a test injection of local anesthetic placed directly onto the suspected nerve to see whether numbing it briefly relieves the pain. Guidelines recommend two separate blocks on different days, and most specialists want at least 50 percent relief, ideally closer to 80 percent, both times before proceeding. This step is the single biggest predictor of success. Skipping it, or accepting a weak response, is how disappointing results happen.

On the day of ablation, you lie face down on an X-ray table. The skin is cleaned and numbed. Many centers offer light sedation, but you need to be awake enough to answer questions, because the physician will test the needle position before heating anything. Using live fluoroscopy, a form of continuous X-ray, a thin insulated needle with a bare metal tip is guided to the bony groove where the medial branch nerve runs.

Two electrical tests follow. A sensory test at a gentle frequency should reproduce a familiar tingling or pressure in your back, confirming the tip sits by the right nerve. A motor test at a different frequency checks that no leg muscle twitches, confirming the tip is safely away from the larger nerve root. Only then is local anesthetic injected through the needle and the probe heated, typically to around 80 degrees Celsius for 60 to 90 seconds, creating a lesion a few millimeters wide.

The physician repeats this at each level, usually two to four nerves per side. The needles come out, a small dressing goes on, and you rest briefly before going home with a driver.

Conventional, pulsed and cooled radiofrequency: three ways to deliver the heat

Not every ablation is the same, and the differences influence both how well it works and where it can be used.

Type	Tip temperature	Lesion size	Main use	Evidence strength
Conventional (thermal)	About 80°C	Small, oval, extends alongside the tip	Spinal facet joints, neck and low back	Multiple randomized trials; benefit depends heavily on patient selection
Pulsed	Kept at or below 42°C in short bursts	No true tissue destruction	Nerves where heat destruction is unsafe, such as nerve roots	Mostly small trials and observational data; effect modest and less durable
Cooled (water-cooled)	Tissue heated to about 60°C while tip is cooled	Larger, roughly spherical	Knee genicular nerves, sacroiliac joint	Several randomized trials for knee; moderate overall

Conventional radiofrequency makes a lesion shaped like a grain of rice lying along the needle. Because the burn extends sideways rather than forward from the tip, the needle must be laid parallel to the nerve, which is why spinal technique is so dependent on precise anatomy and imaging.

Pulsed radiofrequency delivers the current in bursts with pauses that let heat dissipate. The nerve is not destroyed, and the mechanism is thought to involve electrical field effects on pain signaling rather than heat. It is gentler, but the trade-off is weaker and shorter benefit, and the evidence remains largely observational.

Cooled radiofrequency circulates water through the probe so the tip itself stays cool while heat spreads into surrounding tissue. The result is a larger, rounder lesion that can catch a nerve even when its exact path varies from person to person. That forgiveness explains its popularity around the knee and sacroiliac joint, where nerve anatomy is less predictable than in the spine.

How painful is nerve ablation? What it feels like during and after

The honest answer is: more than a flu shot, considerably less than most people fear, and briefly worse before it gets better.

During the procedure, the needle placement is the part most patients notice. Local anesthetic numbs the skin, but you may feel deep pressure as the needle reaches bone, and the sensory test deliberately produces a buzzing or aching sensation in your usual pain area. That moment is uncomfortable but useful; it tells the physician the needle is in the right place. Once anesthetic is injected onto the nerve, the heating itself is often felt as warmth or a dull, deep ache lasting about a minute per site. People who choose light sedation frequently remember little of it.

The first few days afterward are the surprise. The ablated area has, in effect, sustained a small controlled burn, and the surrounding muscle can feel bruised, sunburned or sharply sore. Flare pain that is worse than the original back pain affects a meaningful minority of patients and usually settles within one to two weeks. Ice, gentle movement and the simple analgesics your clinician recommends are the standard approach; this is not the time to test your limits.

Relief does not arrive instantly. Nerves take time to stop transmitting after they are heated, so most people notice improvement somewhere between one and three weeks after the procedure, with the full effect clear by about a month.

Patches of skin numbness or an odd tingling over the treated area are common and typically fade. A small percentage develop neuritis, an irritated-nerve state with burning pain that can linger for several weeks. It is unpleasant but almost always temporary.

How long does nerve ablation last, and why do the nerves grow back?

Peripheral nerves are among the body’s more determined repair crews. When a radiofrequency lesion destroys a segment of a medial branch nerve, the cell body sitting near the spinal cord survives, and over months it sends a new fiber down the old pathway at roughly one millimeter per day. When the regrown nerve reconnects with the joint, pain signaling can resume.

This biology sets the clock. In trials and large clinical series, relief after spinal ablation typically lasts six to twelve months, with a wide spread; some people report benefit for two years, others for only three months. Cervical procedures tend to last slightly longer than lumbar ones in the published literature.

Several factors nudge the duration. A larger, well-placed lesion that captures the whole nerve takes longer to regrow around. Parallel needle placement in the spine, or a cooled probe at the knee, both aim at that goal. Younger patients may regenerate faster. Ongoing joint degeneration can also recruit new pain sources that were quiet at the time of treatment.

The good news is that the procedure can be repeated. Observational studies following patients through multiple rounds suggest that a second or third ablation produces relief of similar magnitude and duration to the first in most people who responded well initially. Each cycle requires a fresh look at whether the pain pattern is still the same and whether a repeat block is warranted.

The realistic framing is maintenance, not repair. Radiofrequency ablation buys a window of lower pain. What you do with that window, particularly rebuilding strength and movement, is what tends to separate people who feel the benefit compound from those who feel they are simply resetting a timer.

What the evidence actually says about radiofrequency ablation

Grading the evidence requires splitting it by location, because a single verdict would mislead.

For neck facet pain, the evidence is the oldest and, in relative terms, the most convincing. The 1996 sham-controlled randomized trial of cervical ablation after whiplash produced a dramatic and durable difference, and later cohorts have been consistent. The trials are small, though, so the quality rating is moderate rather than high.

For lumbar facet pain, the picture is genuinely mixed, and that is the part social media leaves out. The 2015 Cochrane review rated the evidence low quality and found that benefit over placebo or exercise was small on average. The 2017 MINT trials found no clinically meaningful gain. Yet trials that enrolled only patients with strongly positive, repeated diagnostic blocks have reported that around 60 percent of treated patients achieve at least 90 percent relief lasting a year. The most defensible reading is that the average result is modest because the average patient is poorly selected, and that the procedure performs well in a narrower group.

For the sacroiliac joint, randomized data are limited to a handful of small trials, several using cooled probes, with short follow-up. Evidence quality is low to moderate.

For the knee, a 2018 randomized trial of cooled genicular ablation versus steroid injection found 74 percent of ablation patients had at least 50 percent pain relief at six months compared with 16 percent in the steroid group. Several subsequent trials point the same direction. The evidence is moderate and growing, though many studies lack sham controls and long follow-up.

For pulsed radiofrequency and for uses such as hip, shoulder or headache, the support is largely observational or expert opinion.

No trial shows that ablation changes the underlying arthritis, and none should be read as doing so.

Genicular nerve ablation for knee osteoarthritis: the fastest-growing use

The knee is wrapped in a lattice of small sensory nerves called genicular nerves, which carry pain from the joint capsule and bone surface. Three of them run along predictable bony landmarks on the inner and outer sides of the knee, which makes them reachable with a needle under X-ray or ultrasound guidance. Ablating them is the knee’s version of the medial branch procedure.

The appeal is obvious. Knee osteoarthritis affects an estimated one in seven adults over 45, and the gap between ‘exercise and anti-inflammatories are no longer enough’ and ‘ready for a joint replacement’ can last a decade. Genicular ablation sits in that gap. It is also considered for people with persistent pain after a knee replacement, once mechanical problems with the implant have been excluded.

The procedure mirrors the spinal version: a diagnostic block of the genicular nerves first, then ablation if the block produces substantial temporary relief. Cooled probes are frequently used because the exact course of each nerve varies from one knee to the next, and a larger lesion compensates for that.

What the trials show is encouraging but not finished. Head-to-head comparisons against steroid injection consistently favor ablation at six and twelve months on both pain and function scores. The weak spots are the small number of sham-controlled studies and the limited data beyond a year. Durability appears comparable to spinal ablation, with many patients reporting relief for around six to twelve months.

Side effects are similar to the spinal procedure, with the addition of occasional numbness over the front of the knee and rare reports of skin burns when a probe sits too close to the surface. The decision about whether genicular ablation fits a particular knee, and where it belongs relative to injections or surgery, rests with the orthopedic or pain specialist who has examined the joint and its imaging.

Nerve ablation side effects and risks: what the data show

Serious harm from radiofrequency ablation is uncommon, which is one of its real advantages over surgery. Common nuisance effects, by contrast, are frequent enough that anyone considering the procedure should expect at least one of them.

Soreness at the needle sites and a flare of pain are the most frequent, affecting a large share of patients for several days to two weeks. Bruising is routine. Temporary numbness or tingling of a patch of skin over the treated area occurs in a minority and tends to fade over weeks to a few months.

Neuritis, meaning an irritated, inflamed nerve producing burning or electric pain, is the most troublesome of the common effects. Published rates vary but are generally in the single-digit percentages. It usually resolves within weeks, and clinicians can offer treatments in the meantime.

Infection is rare because no implant is left behind and the procedure is sterile, but it remains possible at any needle site. Bleeding risk is relevant for people on blood-thinning medicines, which is why your clinician will review every medicine you take and give specific instructions; never adjust those medicines on your own.

Motor nerve injury, the complication people fear most, is very rare in experienced hands precisely because of the motor stimulation test performed before heating. Skin burns can occur with faulty grounding pads or superficial probe placement and are likewise rare.

A subtler effect deserves mention. Medial branch nerves also supply the tiny multifidus muscles that stabilize the spine. Repeated ablation can lead to some wasting of these muscles, visible on imaging. Whether this matters clinically is debated, with observational studies on both sides, but it is one more reason to pair the procedure with a strengthening program rather than relying on it alone.

Does radiofrequency ablation work for thyroid nodules and other conditions outside pain?

The same physical principle, heating tissue through a needle, shows up across medicine, and the search results for radiofrequency ablation mix these uses together in confusing ways. They deserve to be separated.

For thyroid nodules, radiofrequency is used to shrink benign lumps that are large enough to cause swallowing or cosmetic problems, or that overproduce thyroid hormone. The probe is guided by ultrasound into the nodule and moved through it, heating and killing tissue that the body then slowly reabsorbs. Observational series from Korea, Italy and the United States, where the technique has been used for well over a decade, report average volume reductions of roughly 50 to 80 percent at one year. The evidence consists mostly of cohort studies and a small number of randomized comparisons; it is strongest for benign, biopsy-confirmed nodules and weakest for thyroid cancer, where it remains investigational in most guidelines. A biopsy is required before any ablation, because heating a nodule without knowing what it is would destroy the tissue needed for diagnosis.

In cardiology, catheter ablation uses radiofrequency energy inside the heart to interrupt faulty electrical circuits causing rhythm disorders such as atrial fibrillation. This is a well-established, guideline-supported treatment backed by large randomized trials, but it is an entirely different procedure performed by electrophysiologists.

Radiofrequency is also used to destroy small liver, kidney and lung tumors in patients who cannot have surgery, and to close faulty veins in the leg that cause varicose veins.

None of this evidence transfers across uses. A strong result for heart rhythm says nothing about back pain, and a viral post that cites thyroid outcomes to sell knee ablation is comparing apples to a different orchard. Each application stands or falls on its own trials.

Common myths about radiofrequency ablation

The viral clips are not lying so much as leaving things out. Here are the claims that circulate most, set against what the evidence supports.

‘It burns the nerve so the pain is gone for good.’ Nerves regenerate. Relief of six to twelve months is typical, and the procedure is designed to be repeated rather than to end the problem permanently.

‘It fixes the arthritis.’ Ablation changes nothing about cartilage, bone spurs or joint alignment. It interrupts the pain message. Imaging after a successful procedure looks exactly as it did before.

‘Anyone with back pain can have it.’ The procedure targets one source of pain, the facet joints, which account for a minority of chronic back pain. Without positive diagnostic blocks, the odds of benefit drop sharply, and most guidelines advise against proceeding.

‘If the block worked, the ablation will work.’ Usually, but not always. Even with two strongly positive blocks, roughly one in three patients gets little lasting benefit, often because the nerve was missed, ran an unusual course or regrew quickly.

‘It is painless.’ Expect pressure and a brief deep ache during the procedure and a sore week or two afterward.

‘Pulsed is the same as regular, just safer.’ Pulsed radiofrequency does not destroy the nerve and has weaker, shorter effects in most studies. It is a different tool chosen for different reasons.

‘It is a last resort before surgery.’ Ablation and surgery address different problems. Facet pain is rarely a surgical condition, and disc or nerve root problems that might need surgery are not treated by ablation. The two are not rungs on the same ladder.

The pattern across these myths is the same: a true statement about a narrow group of patients, stretched to cover everyone.

Who is a good candidate for radiofrequency ablation, and who should think twice?

The ideal candidate is unusually specific, which is both the procedure’s strength and the reason it disappoints when applied loosely.

Good candidates typically have pain that has lasted more than three months and has not responded adequately to a real trial of exercise, physical therapy and the medicines their clinician considered appropriate. Their pain pattern points to a facet, sacroiliac or genicular source: axial back or neck pain without leg weakness, or knee pain centered on the joint line. Most importantly, they have had two diagnostic blocks on separate days, each producing at least 50 percent relief, and ideally 80 percent, for the expected duration of the anesthetic. Imaging has excluded other explanations such as a fracture, infection or tumor.

People who should pause include those whose dominant symptom is pain radiating down a leg or arm with numbness or weakness, which suggests nerve root involvement that ablation does not address. Widespread pain, pain driven mainly by a mood disorder or sleep problem, or pain that fluctuates with stress rather than movement all predict poorer results. Active infection at the site, an uncorrected bleeding disorder and pregnancy, because of the X-ray exposure, are standard reasons to defer.

Pacemakers and implanted stimulators are not absolute barriers, but they require coordination with the device team before any radiofrequency current is used.

Honest expectations matter as much as anatomy. Someone hoping to return to a demanding job or sport benefits most when they treat the relief window as time to rebuild, and someone expecting permanent freedom from pain will almost certainly feel let down when the nerve regrows.

Every one of these judgments belongs to the pain or orthopedic specialist who has examined you, reviewed your imaging and watched how you responded to the blocks. A general article can describe the pattern; it cannot make the call.

When to see a doctor

Two distinct situations call for medical attention: deciding whether to consider the procedure at all, and recognizing trouble after you have had it.

Before any discussion of ablation, see a clinician if back, neck or knee pain has persisted beyond six to twelve weeks despite staying active and using the self-care your clinician has recommended. Earlier assessment is warranted if pain began after a fall or accident, if you are over 50 or under 20 with new persistent back pain, or if you have a history of cancer, long-term steroid use or osteoporosis.

Some symptoms are red flags that need urgent, same-day evaluation and are never appropriate for ablation. Seek emergency care for new difficulty controlling your bladder or bowels, numbness in the inner thighs or around the groin, progressive weakness in one or both legs, fever alongside back pain, unexplained weight loss, or pain that is severe at night and unrelieved by any position. These patterns can signal spinal cord or nerve root compression, infection or tumor.

After radiofrequency ablation, contact the clinic promptly if you notice fever, spreading redness, swelling or discharge at a needle site, new weakness or foot drop, numbness that spreads rather than shrinks, severe burning pain that is worsening after the first week rather than easing, or any blistering of the skin. Bleeding that soaks a dressing also needs a call, especially if you take blood-thinning medicines.

Finally, if relief fades sooner than expected, or never arrives, that is a reason for a follow-up visit rather than a repeat procedure on autopilot. The pain pattern may have changed, the original diagnosis may deserve a second look, or a different approach may now fit better. Those are decisions for the clinician who performed the procedure, who prescribes your medicines and who knows your full history.

Frequently asked questions

What does RFA stand for in the medical field?

RFA stands for radiofrequency ablation, a procedure that uses a radiofrequency electrical current to heat the tip of a needle and disable a small piece of tissue, usually a nerve. In pain medicine it is also called radiofrequency neurotomy or denervation. The same abbreviation is used in cardiology, oncology and thyroid care for procedures that share the technology but target very different structures.

How is radiofrequency ablation done?

You lie on an X-ray table while a thin insulated needle is guided under fluoroscopy to the target nerve. The physician runs sensory and motor stimulation tests to confirm the tip sits on the correct sensory nerve and away from motor nerves, injects local anesthetic, then heats the tip to around 80 degrees Celsius for 60 to 90 seconds. Two to four nerves are usually treated, and most people go home within a couple of hours.

How painful is nerve ablation?

Most people describe deep pressure and a brief aching or buzzing during needle testing, then warmth or a dull ache for about a minute while each nerve is heated. Local anesthetic and optional light sedation keep it tolerable. The sorest period is usually the first one to two weeks afterward, when the treated area can feel bruised or sunburned, and a minority experience a temporary flare worse than their usual pain.

How long does nerve ablation last?

Relief typically lasts six to twelve months, with some people reporting benefit for two years and others for only a few months. The nerve regrows along its original path at roughly one millimeter per day, and pain can return once it reconnects with the joint. Repeat ablation is common and, in observational studies, tends to produce relief similar in size and duration to the first round in people who responded well.

Does radiofrequency ablation work for thyroid nodules?

For benign, biopsy-confirmed thyroid nodules that cause swallowing, cosmetic or hormone problems, observational studies report average volume reductions of about 50 to 80 percent at one year. The evidence is largely from cohort series rather than large randomized trials, and use for thyroid cancer remains investigational in most guidelines. Whether a specific nodule is suitable is a decision for an endocrinologist or thyroid surgeon.

What are the most common nerve ablation side effects?

Soreness at the needle sites, bruising and a temporary flare of pain lasting up to two weeks are the most frequent. Patches of skin numbness or tingling occur in a minority and usually fade. Neuritis, a burning irritated-nerve pain, affects a small single-digit percentage and typically resolves within weeks. Infection, bleeding, skin burns and motor nerve injury are rare, in part because of the stimulation tests performed before heating.

What is the RFA procedure for back pain actually targeting?

It targets the medial branch nerves, tiny sensory nerves that carry pain from the facet joints at the back of each spinal segment. These nerves have no meaningful motor function, which is why they can be safely heated. The procedure does not treat disc herniation, spinal stenosis or sciatica from a compressed nerve root, and it does not alter the arthritis in the joint itself.

Does genicular nerve ablation for knee osteoarthritis really work?

Randomized trials since 2018 have consistently favored genicular ablation over steroid injection at six and twelve months for both pain and function, with one trial reporting 74 percent versus 16 percent of patients achieving at least 50 percent relief at six months. The evidence is graded moderate because sham-controlled studies are few and long-term follow-up is limited. It is generally considered for people who are not candidates for, or not ready for, knee replacement.

Why do I need a nerve block before radiofrequency ablation?

A diagnostic block, a test injection of local anesthetic onto the suspected nerve, confirms that the nerve is actually carrying your pain. Guidelines recommend two blocks on separate days, each producing at least 50 percent and ideally 80 percent temporary relief. Trials that skipped this step or used a single lenient block showed little benefit, while trials with strict selection reported that a majority of patients achieved lasting relief.

Can radiofrequency ablation make back pain worse?

Temporarily, yes. A flare of pain worse than baseline occurs in a meaningful minority during the first one to two weeks, and neuritis can cause burning pain for several weeks. Lasting worsening is rare. Repeated procedures can also lead to some wasting of the small multifidus muscles the medial branch nerves supply, which is why clinicians pair ablation with a strengthening program. Worsening pain after the first week warrants a call to your clinician.

References

• Radiofrequency Ablation (Cleveland Clinic)
• Back Pain (MedlinePlus)

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.