LEAWOOD, Kan. – C. Lan Fotopoulos, M.D., of Dickson-Diveley Orthopaedics, has been providing radiofrequency treatments to patients in the Kansas City area for years, and recently has begun treating knee pain with radiofrequency.
The treatments, known as Radiofrequency Ablation, use radiowave technology to block the genicular nerves of the knee. The radiofrequency treatments stop pain due to arthritis, as well as continued knee pain after total knee replacement. A recent segment of “The Doctors” television show featured the treatments.
Knee Pain
Chronic knee osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common diseases of advanced age. With up to 20 million adults in the U.S. suffering from OA of the knee, close to 700,000 cases progress to total knee joint replacement. However, a large demographic of chronic joint pain patients exists who are not candidates for invasive procedures due to BMI, age and other comorbidities. Alternative therapies such (as) arthroscopic debridement or injections are associated with less than optimal clinical outcomes.
Radiofrequency Ablation
Clinical studies of radiofrequency addressing other sources of pain have demonstrated pain relief and improved physical function, Dr. Fotopoulos said. Radiofrequency ablation is designed to treat complex anatomy of variable nerve courses through the creation of heated lesions.
Radiofrequency is a non-surgical, minimally invasive, non-narcotic solution for genicular neurotomy. Because it can be performed in an outpatient setting, Dr. Fotopoulos said patients have the potential to return to an enhanced quality of life much sooner than with surgery — and with a reduced need for narcotics. Dr. Fotopoulos has been performing this procedure, as well as teaching it nationally, since 2013.
Knee Arthritis
Radiofrequency, Knee Pain Treatment
Studies show that when radiofrequency is performed on other joints:
- Physical function improves significantly
- Pain and disability decrease
- Drug utilization reduces
Watch as Dr. Fotopolous explains more about radiofrequency ablation as treatment for lower back pain, knee pain, and headaches:
