Claim: Pulsed radiofrequency relieves acute back pain and sciatica
Verdict: REFUTES

Retrieved passages:
title: Targeted radiofrequency ablation
text: Targeted radiofrequency ablation Targeted radiofrequency ablation (also written t-RFA) is a minimally invasive procedure to treat severe pain and discomfort caused from metastatic tumors in the vertebral body of the spine. This procedure uses radiofrequency energy to target and ablate a specific spinal tumor, causing it shrink and reduce the pressure on the surrounding nerves and tissues. The procedure minimizes damage to the vertebrae and surrounding tissues. It is used as a palliative therapy rather with the intention of treating the cancer itself. Targeted radiofrequency ablation was first developed by DFINE, Inc., a medical device company based in San Jose,

title: Targeted radiofrequency ablation
text: physician to the targeted tumor. The physician can then deliver the energy to heat and destroy metastatic spinal tumor cells. The procedure minimizes damage to surrounding tissue and vital structures and has been shown to provide pain relief in a single treatment. A 2013 study published in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery showed that t-RFA was an effective method of pain relief with low morbidity. Patients in the study also reduced their requirements of pain relieving drugs after receiving the treatment and also regained the ability to perform movements that they were previously restricted from due to the pain. Another

title: Pulsed radiofrequency
text: treatment of tumors, cardiac arrhythmias, chronic and post-operative pain, bone fracture, and soft tissue wounds. There are two general categories of pulsed radiofrequency field therapies based on their mechanism of action: thermal and non-thermal (athermal). While thermal radiofrequency ablation for tumors and cardiac arrhythmia has been used for over 25 years, non-thermal pulsed radio frequency is currently being developed for the ablation of cardiac arrhythmias and tumors. The technique uses pulsed radio frequency energy delivered via catheter at frequencies of 300–750 kHz for 30 to 60 seconds. Thermal pulsed radio frequency takes advantage of high current delivered focally by an

title: Radiofrequency ablation
text: Unlike other electrosurgical devices, RFA allows very specific treatment targeting of the desired tissue with a precise line of demarcation that avoids collateral damage, which is crucial in the head and neck region due to its high density of major nerves and blood vessels. RFA also does not require high temperatures. However, overheating from misapplication of RFA can cause harmful effects such as coagulation on the surface of the electrode, boiling within tissue that can leave "a gaping hole", tears, or even charring. RFA, or rhizotomy, is sometimes used to treat severe chronic pain in the lower (lumbar) back, where

title: Pulsed radiofrequency
text: electrode to ablate the tissue of interest. Generally the tissue/electrode temperature reached is 60 to 75 °C resulting in focal tissue destruction. Thermal pulse radio frequency ablation has also been used for lesioning of peripheral nerves to reduce chronic pain. Non thermal therapeutic uses of pulsed radio frequency are currently being used to treat pain and edema, chronic wounds, and bone repair. Pulsed radiofrequency therapy technologies are described by the acronyms EMF (electromagnetic field), PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic fields), PRF (pulsed radiofrequency fields), and PRFE(pulsed radiofrequency energy). These technologies have been varied in terms of their electric and magnetic field energies

title: Radiofrequency ablation
text: radio frequency waves are used to produce heat on specifically identified nerves surrounding the facet joints on either side of the lumbar spine. By generating heat around the nerve, the nerve gets ablated thus destroying its ability to transmit signals to the brain. The nerves to be ablated are identified through injections of local anesthesia (such as lidocaine) prior to the RFA procedure. If the local anesthesia injections provide temporary pain relief, then RFA is performed on the nerve(s) that responded well to the injections. RFA is a minimally invasive procedure which can usually be done in day-surgery clinics, going

title: Pain management
text: Journal", was unable to quantify the difference in the effect on pain of real, sham and no acupuncture. Research has not found evidence that light therapy such as low level laser therapy is an effective therapy for relieving low back pain. Interventional procedures - typically used for chronic back pain - include epidural steroid injections, facet joint injections, neurolytic blocks, spinal cord stimulators and intrathecal drug delivery system implants. Pulsed radiofrequency, neuromodulation, direct introduction of medication and nerve ablation may be used to target either the tissue structures and organ/systems responsible for persistent nociception or the nociceptors from the structures

title: Radiofrequency ablation
text: including the femoral nerve, or by using an intra-articular procedure. Whether for back or knee pain, a drawback for this procedure is that nerves recover function over time, so the pain relief achieved lasts only temporarily (3–15 months) in most people. Radiofrequency ablation has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for Barrett's esophagus. The balloon-based radiofrequency procedure was invented by Robert A. Ganz, Roger Stern and Brian Zelickson in 1999 (System and Method for Treating Abnormal Tissue in the Human Esophagus). While the person is sedated, a catheter is inserted into the esophagus and radiofrequency energy is

title: Targeted radiofrequency ablation
text: 2013 study published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology showed that patients receiving the procedure had reduced pain where traditional treatment methods were unsuccessful. A third study published in 2013 showed that t-RFA allowed treatment of lesions that were not controlled by either radiation therapy or systemic therapy. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology showed a decrease in tumor volume and metabolic activity in all 34 patients who received the treatment. The ability to provide localized t-RFA of metastatic lesions of the spine may provide rapid and lasting pain relief, enabling patients

title: Targeted radiofrequency ablation
text: to restore their quality of life with minimal, if any, delay in systemic, curative therapy of their primary cancer. As compared to radiation, which often requires multiple visits, the procedure provides patients with pain relief from metastatic spinal tumors in a single, minimally invasive treatment. The STAR System potentially minimizes additional VCFs due to radiation related bone fragility as well as the side effects of radiation. This procedure can be performed in addition to chemotherapy, radiation therapy or other therapies that are ongoing to treat the primary cancer often allowing the patient the tolerance to continue their therapy. Targeted radiofrequency

title: Radiofrequency ablation
text: home shortly after completion of the procedure. The person is awake during the procedure, so risks associated with general anesthesia are avoided. An intravenous line may be inserted so that mild sedatives can be administered. In April 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a commercial device using cooled radiofrequency ablation, with effects lasting for up to a year of pain relief from knee arthritis. A review of preliminary clinical research indicated that better efficacy of ablation for knee pain was achieved by targeting the genicular nerve (one of the articular branches of the tibial nerve), targeting larger nerves

title: Low back pain
text: are sometimes used for chronic low back pain evidence does not support a benefit. Systemic oral steroids have not been shown to be useful in low back pain. Facet joint injections and steroid injections into the discs have not been found to be effective in those with persistent, non-radiating pain; however, they may be considered for those with persistent sciatic pain. Epidural corticosteroid injections provide a slight and questionable short-term improvement in those with sciatica but are of no long term benefit. There are also concerns of potential side effects. Surgery may be useful in those with a herniated disc

title: Radiofrequency ablation
text: for vein closure in areas where intrusive surgery is contraindicated by trauma, and in liver resection to control bleeding (hemostasis) and facilitate the transection process. This process has also been used with success to treat TRAP sequence in multiple gestation pregnancies. This is becoming the leading method of treatment with a higher success rate for saving the 'pump' twin in recent studies than previous methods including laser photocoagulation. Due to the rarity of this complication, its correct diagnosis statistics are not yet reliable. RFA is being investigated to treat uterine fibroids using the heat energy of radio frequency waves to

title: Radiofrequency ablation
text: Radiofrequency ablation Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a medical procedure in which part of the electrical conduction system of the heart, tumor or other dysfunctional tissue is ablated using the heat generated from medium frequency alternating current (in the range of 350–500 kHz). RFA is generally conducted in the outpatient setting, using either local anesthetics or conscious sedation anesthesia. When it is delivered via catheter, it is called radiofrequency catheter ablation. Two important advantages of radio frequency current (over previously used low frequency AC or pulses of DC) are that it does not directly stimulate nerves or heart muscle and therefore

title: Sciatica
text: pain relief for up to two years. Acupuncture has been shown to improve sciatica-related pain, though the supporting evidence is limited by small study samples. Low to moderate-quality evidence suggests that spinal manipulation is an effective treatment for acute sciatica. For chronic sciatica, the evidence supporting spinal manipulation as treatment is poor. Spinal manipulation has been found generally safe for the treatment of disc-related pain; however, case reports have found an association with cauda equina syndrome, and it is contraindicated when there are progressive neurological deficits. Depending on how it is defined, less than 1% to 40% of people have

title: Radiofrequency ablation
text: a dermatosurgical procedure by using various forms of alternating current. Types of radiofrequency are electrosection, electrocoagulation, electrodessication and fulguration. The use of radiofrequency ablation has obtained importance as it can be used to treat most of the skin lesions with minimal side effects and complications. Radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive procedure used in the treatment of varicose veins. It is an alternative to the traditional stripping operation. Under ultrasound guidance, a radiofrequency catheter is inserted into the abnormal vein and the vessel treated with radio-energy, resulting in closure of the involved vein. Radiofrequency ablation is used to treat the

title: Radiofrequency ablation
text: result in less bone destruction and to have equivalent safety and efficacy to surgical techniques, with 66 to 95% of people reporting freedom from symptoms. While initial success rates with RFA are high, symptom recurrence after RFA treatment has been reported, with some studies demonstrating a recurrence rate similar to that of surgical treatment. RFA is also increasingly used in the palliative treatment of painful metastatic bone disease in people who are not eligible or do not respond to traditional therapies ( i.e. radiation therapy, chemotherapy, palliative surgery, bisphosphonates or analgesic medications). Radiofrequency energy is used in heart tissue or

title: Low back pain
text: good results. There are a number of different surgical procedures to achieve fusion, with no clear evidence of one being better than the others. Adding spinal implant devices during fusion increases the risks but provides no added improvement in pain or function. It is unclear if among those with non-chronic back pain alternative treatments are useful. For chiropractic care or spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) it is unclear if it improves outcomes more or less than other treatments. Some reviews find that SMT results in equal or better improvements in pain and function when compared with other commonly used interventions for

title: Bone metastasis
text: of painful metastatic bone disease. Although the majority of patients experience complete or partial relief of pain following external radiation therapy, the effect is not immediate and has been shown in some studies to be transient in more than half of patients. For patients who are not eligible or do not respond to traditional therapies ( i.e. radiation therapy, chemotherapy, palliative surgery, bisphosphonates or analgesic medications), thermal ablation techniques have been explored as alternatives for pain reduction. Several multi-center clinical trials studying the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of moderate to severe pain in patients with metastatic bone

title: Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy
text: Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMFT), also known as low field magnetic stimulation (LFMS), and tumor treating fields (TTF) uses electromagnetic fields in an attempt to heal non-union fractures, glioblastomas (brain tumors) and depression. By 2007 the FDA had cleared several such stimulation devices. In 2013 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned a manufacturer for promoting the device for unapproved uses such as cerebral palsy and spinal cord injury. The mechanism of osteogenesis is not clear. While PEMF therapy is claimed to offer some benefit in the treatment of fractures, the evidence is inconclusive and