Radio Frequency Denervation SI joint w Simplicity Probe

[rob wilson]

I just had my RF denervation on Friday 12/10/10. It went very smoothly. My intense nerve pain is already better although I still have tightness and numbness (probably from my piriformis removal). The doctor hopes that this relief will last ~ 6 months. Does anyone know if you repeat the RF procedure, will the effects be cumulative as in better each time and not return to the same level? My doctor evaded the question.

[Justin]

I just had my RF denervation on Friday 12/10/10. It went very smoothly. My intense nerve pain is already better although I still have tightness and numbness (probably from my piriformis removal). The doctor hopes that this relief will last ~ 6 months. Does anyone know if you repeat the RF procedure, will the effects be cumulative as in better each time and not return to the same level? My doctor evaded the question.

Hey Rob, is great to read that your nerve pain is already better. I think your doctor evaded the question about serial RF ablations and "cumulative" effects on your sacroiliac joints because relief from a given ablation is different for everyone (and sometimes ablations provide prolonged pain relief while others provide shorter time periods). Also nerves grow back over ~ 6 to 18 months. Thus, when pain returns, patients are instructed to have another ablation. I do know that Spine Patients that continue to perform physical therapy daily help with long-term pain relief--I'm not sure how this directly translates into serial RF ablations. However, in theory, more RF ablations (or "insults" to the nerve) should help with long-term success and decreased pain.

Keep us posted!

[Cindylou]

Rob, I am glad too you are already experiencing some relief. A lot of times, the relief after RF is not experienced fully until the nerve (s) scab over. That is what my doctor told me. I am a serial RF-er (sounds funny) when it comes to my cervical area, and I experience almost exactly the same amount of relief for just about the same length of time, every time I have it done. I get about a solid year of relief. It is just awesome. Now, for some reason, when I have had lumbar facet RF, I don't/didn't experience the same level of relief. I would get major relief, about 90%, from the block, but then when they would go back in to do the actual RF on the lumbar facet, I did not receive that same relief. Very weird. Anyway, that has been my experience. I'm not sure I would necessarily call it "cumulative," but now that I think about it, I have had a few times where the cervical RF has lasted me longer than 12 months, 1 time about 18 months, so maybe there is something to the "cumulative" effect and I just never put 2 + 2 together. I hope you get maximum relief! Good luck. Cindylou

[rob wilson]

As it turns out this RF procedure with simplicity probe did not help much. What has improved my SI joint is many injections of PRP and prolotherapy combined with gua sha (like graston) combined with using a Serola SI joint belt and Serola pelvic blocks every nite for 5 minutes. I am going to try standard RF again though.

Serola Blocks |Inflatable Pelvic Blocks for Category II Technique

[Cindylou]

I guess I am not familiar with that type of RF. I have only had the standard type, where I have reaped wonderful results on my neck. Good luck. CL