Patients searching for back pain procedures near the Seacoast, Southern Maine, Boston/North Shore, or Vermont often run into two terms: medial branch blocks and radiofrequency ablation. They sound like alphabet soup, but the logic is fairly practical.
Medial branch blocks are typically diagnostic. Radiofrequency ablation, or RFA, is considered only when the diagnostic information suggests that small facet-joint nerves are likely carrying the pain signal.
Facet joints are small joints in the back of the spine that help guide motion. Medial branch nerves carry pain signals from those joints. If facet joints are the likely pain generator, temporarily numbing those nerves can provide useful information.
RFA is not chosen simply because an MRI shows arthritis. Diagnostic blocks help estimate whether the targeted nerves are actually involved. If the pain does not respond in a meaningful, temporary way, ablation may be less appropriate.
Radiofrequency ablation uses heat generated by radiofrequency energy near selected nerves to reduce pain signals for a period of time. It does not reverse arthritis, rebuild a joint, or guarantee permanent relief. The goal is better function and less pain when the diagnosis fits.
Related PSG resources: Lower Back Pain, Neck Pain, Request an Appointment.
Persistent pain should not have to run the calendar. Pain Specialty Group helps patients across Newington, Newmarket, the Seacoast, Southern Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont understand the source of pain and review conservative and interventional options. Request an appointment.
This article is educational and does not replace individualized medical advice. If symptoms are severe, rapidly worsening, or associated with new weakness, fever, trauma, or bowel/bladder changes, seek urgent medical care.
