A 10-Minute, Pulsed Radio Therapy to Assuage Your Lower Back Pain
Low back pain is an extremely common problem that affects at least 80 percent of the population at some point in their lifetime. It is the most common cause of job-related disability. Low back pain affects men and women equally.
Most back pain is short-term, but about 20 percent of people affected by acute low back pain go on to develop chronic low back pain lasting a year or more. A compressed and herniated disk in which the rubbery cushion between vertebrae impinges on and irritates nearby nerves, is a major cause of low back pain that can radiate to the legs.
“The nerve root is a sensitive structure that when pinched becomes inflamed and causes pain,” said Alessandro Napoli M.D., Ph.D., an interventional radiologist at Sapienza University of Rome. “The body reacts with muscle constriction, which decreases the distance between vertebrae, and a vicious cycle is created.”
Now, a single-centre prospective study led by Dr. Alessandro Napoli has paved way for a new treatment that aims electrical pulses at irritated nerves around the spinal cord and further appears effective at relieving chronic lower back pain and sciatica.
Conservative, nonsurgical approaches typically
ease symptoms of a herniated disc over time, according to the AAOS. These treatments include rest, gentle exercise, pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs, cold or hot compresses and physical therapy.However, about 20 percent of those with acute low back pain don’t find relief through these measures. That leads some to decide on surgery to remove disc material pressing on their spinal nerves. For these people, Napoli said, image-guided pulsed radiofrequency treatment may become a viable option if larger studies reinforce his findings.
Napoli’s research included 80 people who had experienced at least three months of low back pain from a herniated disc that hadn’t responded to conservative treatments.
The patients underwent a minimally invasive interventional radiology procedure in which, with the help of CT imaging, a needle is guided to the location of the bulging disc and nerve root. A probe is then inserted through the needle tip and delivers pulsed radiofrequency energy to the area over a 10-minute period. Even without touching the disc, the pulsation serves to resolve the herniation.
Of the 80 patients treated, 81 percent were pain-free one year after a single 10-minute treatment session. Six patients required a second pulsed radiofrequency session. Ninety percent of the patients were able to avoid surgical treatment.
“Following this treatment, inflammation and pain go away. With relaxation of the muscles, the distance between the vertebrae returns,” Dr. Napoli explained.
Dr. Napoli said no patients experienced side effects after receiving the minimally invasive outpatient treatment. “The probe delivers a gentle electrical energy, so there’s no thermal damage. The results have been extraordinary. Patients have been relieved of pain and resumed their normal activities within a day” he concluded.
