Objective: To assess the effectiveness of repeated radiofrequency neurotomy (RFN) on pain, disability, and treatment effect duration.
Patients: One hundred-four patients who underwent repeat RFN for chronic neck or back pain were prospectively followed using a Pain Disability Questionnaire-Spine (PDQ-S). Complete data sets were available for 73, 73, and 36 patients for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd RFN, respectively.
Results: Pain intensity, pain frequency, and patient-specific disability measures were significantly improved post-initial, second, and third RFN. Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference among the PDQ-S scores post-RFN 1, 2, and 3. There was no statistical significance between the duration of pain relief post-RFN 1 and pain relief post-RFD 2.
Conclusion: Repeated cervical and lumbar RFN reduces pain and disability with equal effectiveness for approximately 10 months in patients with facetogenic chronic neck and back pain.
Wiley Periodicals, Inc.