I had a 9mm tear in my spine in 2012 and have CRPS in all 4 limbs at this point. I am a walking pain episode. I just had this procedure (radio frequency nerve ablation) done Friday and it's Monday morning and I am in some real pain from the procedure. I came here this morning looking for some encouragement after the fact (meaning, looking to be encouraged that after I get through the increased pain that my doctor warned me about, I have something better to look forward to, down the road). I must admit, this thread, at present, isn't doing that for me, lol.

I will try to post back here later (in a few weeks) as to any results I've gotten or not gotten from having it done. The actual procedure isn't that big a deal....some stinging, as described on articles provided in the internet, and when the doctor hit 2 of the more "angry" nerves he ablated, I absolutely felt it, but even so, not a big deal when you live with pain like what we pain patients live with. So, at the end of it all, what we all really care about is whether or not we will get the anticipated results from the procedure.

I have NOT seen anything anywhere, concerning this procedure, which lines up with my personal experiences, so far. For example, after my spine injury in 2012, the left side and top of my left thigh were extremely painful (extremely, like hovering at an 8-9 on the pain scale, for months). That pain has been with me over the years, off and on....gets worse and eases up. This RFA they did Friday has brought all of that back as if I were back to the original spine injury from 2012....which I find interesting (not so much, Im sure you can understand why). Anyway, nothing I read about RFA indicated that specific places where there is a lot of nerve activity in the limb would "light up" when this RFA was done....I've read more that we would feel sunburned on the back (I do...but believe me, there is sunburn and there is the pain I am feeling in the nerves in the limb, and the sunburn is like a cold to double flu).

Anyway, in all the places (at spine L4L5), on the side of my thigh and on the top of the thigh and in ankle/foot, where my RSD/CRPS and prior nerve damage/activity is, this RFA has "lit up" these areas with a vengance, and I am holding my breath, just hoping on hope that it's a part of the process. It is my understanding that I am now waiting for the nerves that were ablated to die off....and so hopefully, as that happens, this new intense pain will die off with it.
I will try to remember to follow up here and share what comes next.