The Effect of Repeated Zygapophysial Joint Radiofrequency Neurotomy on Pain, Disability, and Improvement Duration

Objective.  To assess the effectiveness of repeated radiofrequency neurotomy (RFN) on pain, disability, and treatment effect duration. Patients.  One hundred-four patients who underwent repeat RFN for chronic neck or back pain were prospectively followed using a Pain Disability Questionnaire-Spine (PDQ-S). Complete data sets were available for 73, 73, and 36 patients for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd RFN, respectively. Results.  Pain intensity, pain frequency, and patient-specific disability measures were significantly improved post-initial, second, and third RFN. Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference among the PDQ-S scores post-RFN 1, 2, and 3. There was no statistical significance between the duration of pain relief post-RFN 1 and pain relief post-RFD 2. Conclusion.  Repeated cervical and lumbar RFN reduces pain and disability with equal effectiveness for approximately 10 months in patients with facetogenic chronic neck and back pain.