Facet Thermal Ablation, formerly known as rhizolysis, is a safe and proven method of interrupting pain signals. Medicus Spine & Joint utilizes the newest technology for more precise procedures and optimal patient outcomes at their offices in Brunswick, Georgia; Mount Pleasant and Bluffton, South Carolina; and Gainesville, Tallahassee, and Jacksonville, Florida. They perform facet thermal ablation to heat nerve tissue in the spine, interrupting pain signals from that area. Call the office nearest you to schedule an appointment with the well-known team of experts, or book your consultation online today.
Facet thermal ablation (rhizolysis) is a minimally invasive procedure that uses heat to clean facet joints, remove bone spurs, and numb sensory nerves that irritate the joints, causing pain.
Facet joints are the joints in your spine that make your back flexible, enabling you to twist and bend. When facet joints are healthy, cartilage allows your vertebrae to move about smoothly. If the joints are diseased or damaged, the joints become misaligned and cause pain.
Facet disease occurs when the cartilage in the joints deteriorates due to injury, aging, wear-and-tear, or misuse.
While facet thermal ablation does not reverse the damage caused by degeneration, it can alleviate severe neck and back pain symptoms.
Your orthopedic surgeon at Medicus Spine & Joint can use facet thermal ablation to treat many different conditions, including:
These conditions may result in several symptoms, particularly intermittent or chronic pain, tenderness, numbness, and loss of flexibility. The symptoms may be accompanied by the following:
Medicus Spine & Joint can treat any symptoms of degraded spinal cartilage with facet thermal ablation.
The orthopedic spine surgeons at Medicus Spine & Joint customize your facet thermal ablation and review the details at your consultation.
First, they give you medication to help you relax. Then, while you lie on your stomach on the procedure table, your provider numbs the area with a local anesthetic.
Using guided imaging, your provider inserts the thermal ablation needle into the area near the facet joint, removes the bone spurs, and heats the nerve to disrupt the pain signal.
At Medicus Spine & Joint, the surgical team will confirm that you can complete a series of mobility exercises and verify that the pain has been successfully treated.
After the procedure, you’re transferred to the post-operative care unit for observation and rest, followed by a consultation with your surgeon to determine if additional procedures are necessary. Because of the sedation and pain you may feel after the procedure, you should arrange for someone to drive you home.
To learn more about facet thermal ablation and how it can improve your quality of life, call the Medicus Spine & Joint office or request your consultation online today.