Genicular Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation Reduces Knee Arthritis Pain

FRIDAY, March 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is associated with a significant reduction in pain for patients with knee osteoarthritis, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology, held from March 4 to 9 in Phoenix.

Kaitlin Carrato, M.D., from MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., and colleagues assessed data from 36 patients who underwent 47 primary genicular nerve RFAs (13 male and 21 female) for knee osteoarthritis from February 2022 to August 2022 and were followed for a mean 75.5 days.

The researchers observed an overall statistically significant reduction in visual analog scale (VAS) and Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) pain scores after RFA. Among patients aged 50 years or older versus those younger than 50 years, there was a statistically significant reduction in VAS. Gender, body mass index, history of prior knee surgery, and history of fibromyalgia did not significantly impact VAS or WOMAC reduction.

"Roughly one in four U.S. adults have knee pain," a coauthor said in a statement. "This treatment can offer many of those people a chance to enjoy everyday activities and regain a higher quality of life by decreasing the pain that they experience on a daily basis."

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