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The following is a summary of “Outcomes of Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation of Lumbar Nerves as Treatment for Chronic Low Back Pain,” published in the March 2025 issue of Pain and Therapy by Abd-Elsayed et al. 

Chronic lower back pain affects 23% of adults worldwide, with a lifetime prevalence of 84%, and may require invasive treatments like cooled radiofrequency ablation (CFRA) when conservative therapies are ineffective.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate pain score reduction, duration, and magnitude in individuals who received CFRA for chronic low back pain caused by lumbar facet arthropathy.  

They analyzed data from UW-Health Electronic Medical Health Records (EMR), including lumbar CRFA procedures performed from 2015 to April 2024. Information collected included diagnosis, preoperative and postoperative pain scores, duration of pain relief, age, sex, and BMI. A 2-tailed paired t-test was applied to compare preoperative and postoperative pain scores, considering a P-value ≤ 0.05 statistically significant.  

The results showed that 1,450 lumbar CRFA procedures were reviewed, with 206 excluded due to missing preoperative or postoperative pain scores and 8 excluded due to weekly lidocaine infusions before postoperative assessment. The analysis included 1,026 individuals (584 females, 442 males) with an average age of 59.81 ± 13.40 years and a BMI of 31.67 ± 7.13. The mean pre-procedure visual analog scale (VAS) pain score was 6.44 ± 1.67 (n = 1,236), while the mean post-procedure score was 3.21 ± 2.45 (n = 1236), showing statistical significance (P < 0.0001). Pain improvement was reported in 85.92% (n = 1062), with 14.08% (n = 174) achieving complete remission, 7.61% (n = 94) experiencing no change, and 6.47% (n = 80) reporting worsening symptoms. Among effective procedures (n = 1,062), the mean percentage improvement in pain was 60.56 ± 27.21%. The average duration of pain relief was 267.43 ± 393.18 days.  

Investigators concluded that CRFA offered significant, lasting pain relief for chronic back pain from lumbar facet arthropathy unresponsive to standard treatments, highlighting its potential as a valuable minimally invasive option. 

Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40122-025-00717-7