sorry if this is already a thread, if is maybe someone can direct me to the right place, i can't find my glasses and reading through the threads is an impossible task right now.

This is the 2 nerve ablation my Spine doc had done and the 1st one hurt like mad during the procedure but pain only lasted a few days then it all went away and i was a happy camper!
I am now almost post 2 weeks and in pain. this time procedure hardly hurt, but aftermath i can only walk 2 houses down before i get stinging shooting pains through my butt and down leg. pain meds are not helping but they are (i'm sure they are doing something but it sure doesn't feel that way). my left foot keeps going numb when i stand and lots of itching.

i am going to talk to my doctor i know that advice, i am just curious if this happens, is it common? my dr. is awesome and all but sometimes i just feel like i'm complaining too much and theres always something else so i just want to get outside opinions.

History: Lower back pain since 14 years old(i'm 29), no known injuries to have caused it. avoided surgery at that age (doctors wanted to cut me open to explore) D.D.D. significant bone wearing L4, L5, S1. Arthritis (not just in my spine, but feet hands, neck.) i have foot problems but thats a whole other story. and drs. won't do surgery on me good/bad thing. and won't do a Artificial disc replacement as they say the joint where i need it the most is the only place they won't do it. (bull Honkey...maybe!)
thnx all sorry for long post just ignore it if its too much writing.

By ablation, did they just "kill" the nerve? I assume that's what they did. Do you know what nerve it was?

If you're gettiing stinnging pain down the leg and into the foot I have to assume that the sciatic nerve is involved as that's the biggest nerve in the body and it runs all the way down the leg and into the foot. I'm wondering if he hit that nerve by mistake, or nicked it. If so, he could have aggravated it. This could take awhile to calm down. Pain meds many tiimes don't touch it if it's REALLY angry.

Best thing is ice (on the butt). Do NOT use heat as that causes more pain. Use ice for 20 minutes every 2 hours, and that will help to calm it down. You may need stronger pain meds too, but I doubt yoiu'll get them. Just keep icing. I had sciatica (what that actually is that you're describing) for 26 years solid. The doc couldn't find a drug that would work and was afraid to give me a high enough dose to help. Just recently Ii got relief. (Thank God!)

I hope the ice helps you. It always did me for awhile. But never for good. God bless and take care. Hugs, Lee

Radio frequency nerve ablation or RFA heats and "kills," if you like, the proprioceptive/sensory nerves that innervate the posterior or facet joints. The idea is that if the joints are the primary generator of pain, then disconnecting them makes sense, to some degree. The drawback is that the nerves grow back (and so does your pain) over the course of a year or so. There may be other drawback in creating a temporary Charcot joint.

I had pain from my ablation for a long time.. argh.. Did you try the Flector patch on the site?