Role of Radiofrequency in the Management of Chronic Low Back Pain

Abstract

Background: low back pain (LBP) is related to disability and work absence and accounts for high economical costs. The management of LBP comprises a range of different intervention strategies including surgery, drug therapy, and non-medical interventions. Failed back surgery syndrome is a common problem with enormous costs to patients, insurers, and society, defined as persistent back and/ or leg pain after spine surgery. The etiology of failed back surgery can be poor patient selection, incorrect diagnosis, suboptimal selection of surgery, poor technique, failure to achieve surgical goals, and/or recurrent pathology. Aim of the Work: to evaluate the efficacy, safety and outcome of radiofrequency as a method for management of patients with chronic low back pain. Subjects and Methods: thisprospective study was conducted at El Galaa Military Hospital starting from January 2017. Twenty-five patients with chronic low back pain with mal-response to medical treatment justified for receiving interventional pain management as a conservative method of treatment of low back pain. They were subjected to radiofrequency neurotomy as a method for managing low back pain. Results: there was highly statistically significant decrease in pain score immediately, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months than pain score before RF with p-value < 0.01and there was highly statistically significant difference between daily living activities before RF and daily living activities at different times of measurement with p-value < 0.01. Conclusion: low back pain is a medical, social and economical problem. Radiofrequency neurotomy had advantage regarding the long term follow up but the costs and equipment-wised problem still make it less prevailed. Recommendations: longer follow up and randomized study if could be conducted the results may indicate much clues.