Surgeons commonly use radiofrequency (heat) energy to cut small sensory nerves around the facet (spinal) joints that are causing patients' low back pain. The procedure is called a radiofrequency denervation (RFD). The evidence for RFD as a safe and cost-effective treatment method is a bit sketchy. Some say it works well. Others show little or no benefit over sham (pretend) treatment.

Medical treatment for sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain has been less than successful. Doctors have tried injecting the joint with a numbing agent and even fusing the joint in severe cases. A new treatment under investigation may change that. New water-cooled radiofrequency technology has been shown very effective in preliminary studies.

Understandably, physicians are cautions about giving their patients narcotics (also known as opioids). Worries about misuse, abuse, and addiction are reasonable. In this article, over a dozen highly qualified panel members offer doctors guidelines for the long-term use of opioid therapy. The target patients are those with chronic noncancer pain (CNCP).

The fact that you are worried about potential abuse and addiction is a good sign. Physicians are also concerned about potential serious adverse effects of narcotic (opioid) medications. That's why they rely on guidelines for the long-term use of opioid therapy. The target patients are those like yourself who have chronic noncancer pain (CNCP).

Medical treatment for sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain has been less than successful. Doctors have tried injecting the joint with a numbing agent and even fusing the joint in severe cases. A new treatment under investigation may change that. New water-cooled radiofrequency technology has been shown very effective in preliminary studies.

Nerves that innervate or tell a muscle or joint what to do can be divided into two types: sensory or motor. Sensory nerves conduct messages to the brain to tell it what's going on in the muscle or the joint. Is there pain or a change in the position or pressure within the area? The sensory nerve picks up information from sensitive receptors and relays it to the brain. Pain is a common message carried by sensory nerves.

Studies are being done all over the world with the goal of improving the lives of many people who are living with chronic pain. Some of the studies involve medications, some different types of treatments, and some look at how patients act or react to pain. All these studies provide some sort of insight into chronic pain.

With the ever increasing number of people living with chronic pain, it still appears that those who have chronic pain aren't always taken seriously by healthcare professionals. This is unfortunate because studies have shown that patients with chronic pain who are understood do much better physically and psychosocially than those who aren't understood.

Prescription opiates (narcotic drugs) have been dispensed much more freely in the last few years. Part of this is because research has shown that not everyone automatically becomes a drug addict taking these medications. Many people with chronic pain are helped.

Unintentional drug overdose can be a major problem when treating chronic back pain. Patients aren't always honest about their pain levels or the amount of medication they are taking. Sometimes they go doctor shopping. This refers to a pattern of going from doctor to doctor getting multiple prescriptions for the same type of drugs.