Pain Management Community

Your doctor is probably talking about a rhizotomy, or nerve ablation; the doctor burns the nerve ends that are sending pain signals. They eventually grow back. Some folks have good results with this others not so much. Hope this helps, hope you find relief.

Thanks. With your help I was able to find a lot of info about this procedure. Like you said, it seems to work on about half the people, same as the injections. Just one more thing to try when everything else has failed. since so many of us live with pain in the 8-10 range, we just pray we can find a procedure that works before we run out of money. I am so sorry for those folks without any insurance. I have it but it still costs a lot in copay and things that are not covered. But the real cost is loss of work, loss of quality time with friends and family, and just loss of a quality life in general.
Love and blessinngs to all of us

You are more than welcome, glad to help. Hope if you try it (rhizotomy) that it works for you. If it doesn't and your doc advises surgery, please get a second opinion and do your homework! Fusion is supposed to stabilize the spine, but as for relieving pain doesn't seem to do that in a lot of cases. Please find out every thing you can about it before you make a decision. Good luck.

A lumbar facet rhizotomy can be used as treatment for low back pain. This procedure will not generally help if pain is radiating into the extremities past the knees. We generally look for physical exam findings and correlating imaging to suggest the facets as a possible pain generator. Often prior to doing a rhizotomy a diagnostic block is first completed to evaluate the response. Success rates of a lumbar facet rhizotomy in the setting of a successful diagnostic block is estimated to be around 60% for 6-9 months of relief. Good luck and let us know if you have any more questions.

After 6 surgeries at L5-S1, I was still in a great deal of pain. The rhizotomy was suggested. I went ahead with it and besides gettng no pain relief, I was totally without bowel control for 6 months. I thought it was going to be forever. Eventually, I regained control, I guess from the nerve growing back together again. But, had I known, I never would have had the rhizotomy done.
Not sayng you would have the same experience, but that was mine.

my dr is going to do 5 blocks up & down the spine. she thinks she needs to expedite cause i have been a 10 for 5 months & about to lose my mind. 1 person sd problem controlling bowels for 6 mo. that
would be bad.

The success rate for a facet rhyzotomy (you call it "burning the nerve") is about 60%, nearly the same success rate for spinal fusion. Here is the latrest comprehensive research on all major spinal treatment interventions: http://www.painphysicianjournal.com/2009/july/2009;12;699-802.pdf . I had one that significantly increased my pain forvever. The slight risk is needle nerve root impingement. Ask the physician how many of them he or she has done first.

I am somewhat mystefied (I've had DDD for 40 yeas, along with 4 failed spine surgeries, including multilevel fusion) with why your doctor would bring up having another fusion. Fusion exists for one purpose - to stabilize the spinal vertebra. Unless your fusion has had a disunion, why would he want to repeat it? Did your physican tell you that you have instability?

Each additional surgery will produce more damage to spinal nerve roots, the vertebra and nearby tissue. It increases the risk of future osteophytes (bone spur). Worse yet, each surgery creates more fibrosis (scarring). Fibrosis can impinge a nerve roots, just the same as an osteophyte or extruded disc. My last mylogram resembled a road map of New Jersey from all of the fibrotic tissue. I would want at least 3 spine surgeons to tell me that I had a disunion and instability before I would have have another fusion. Get some new opinions. A spine surgeon is a neurosurgeon or an orthopedic surgeon who has completed a fellowship in spine surgery. They can typically be found at or near teaching hospitals. Good luck.