ive had it done 4 times, twice with one dr who uses iv anestestic which the pain was unbearable, then another dr twice who uses a shot to numb the area where the needles are put in, didnt feel anything and got a lot better results. I had twelve needles put in my neck from the first dr at one time, the second only used 2, seems everyone has a different way of doing things humane or not. I will never go back to the first dr for no reason, its not proper to be that inhumane on a patient when there are other ways to administer this procedure, Id find another pain management dr. Look for that Dr to sooner or later push you to have a spinal cord stimulator put in, it seemed to me the first Dr was making me worse, then said all he could do now is put in the SCS which by the way requires two surgeries. I have seperated and buldging disc in my cervical spine which the Dr im with now says that RF will work for the cervical spine but not for the lumbar spine which I had surgery on a yr ago. Amazing how different drs can be.

Hi, I have had 9 blocks and none have worked on me so try but don't get your hopes up like I did.

I had a medial branch block done earlier in the year so far the 1st set of injections is helping. I've had a little discomfort the last few days however the 1st set of injections have lasted about 4 months. Their is a set of 3 injections that you can take, I'm waiting to do the next set once these wear off a little more. I had good luck with them and had the shots to numb the area also. The dr says I need surgery however, need to do this first to proove my insurance case. So for now I'm doing the shots

I know that this is a week later than the original post but I thought I'd put my 2 cents in. I go in for facet blocks every 10-12 weeks and they help me tremendously- I get immediate relief but it only lasts for about 6 or 7 weeks. My PM doc suggested that I try the RF facet block as it is supposed to last a lot longer. It is VERY painful and they don't give you the anesthetic because you have to tell them when you feel the sensations. I got sick to my stomach on the table because it hurt so bad. End results...nothing:( The doctors are still fighting the insurance company for payment as they declined payment after they gave prior authorization! VERY expensive procedure- almost 3 grand! I have heard that it works for some people though, have you tried the regular facet blocks? I wish you the best xoxoLyn

I had both. A lot of painful procedures for a little bit of relief. The RF in effect distroys the nerve that is suppose to be sensing the pain from the facet joints of a particular vertebral level. Trouble is the nerve can grow back in as little as 6 months.

Procedures make a lot of money for the doc & his/her clinic so be aware of possible ulterior motives. Make sure they have the specialized training to preform these procedures as the AMA currently has no set standardized training to judge competency.