title: The effect of repeated zygapophysial joint radiofrequency neurotomy on pain, disability, and improvement duration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effectiveness of repeated radiofrequency neurotomy (RFN) on pain, disability, and treatment effect duration.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. brianmd2@gmail.com
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rambaransingh
authors.forename: Gordon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stanford
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burnham
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery; D003714:Denervation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000601:surgery*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011846:Radio Waves; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult; D021801:Zygapophyseal Joint / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*