The treatment is performed in the operating room and you will be sedated (no anesthesia). You’ll arrive at the clinic about an hour before the treatment. You will be escorted to your private room, where you can change into an operating gown. Before the procedure starts you will be picked up by a nurse and/or doctor who will walk with you to the treatment room. The treatment In the operating room the assistant anesthetist connects you to the monitoring equipment. You also get an IV into a vein in your arm. Through the IV you get antibiotics and a light sedative administered. The skin of the back is disinfected and covered with sterile drapes. After a local anesthetic (1-3 ml of 2% lidocaine) two special needles are placed in the intervertebral disc, with the help of guidance by X-ray. Then, the intervertebral disc is heat-treated for 10 minutes by a radio-frequency current. This treatment influences the pain conduction from the affected intervertebral disc, so that in many cases, a reduction in pain occurs.

ATTENTION This treatment is considered an inpatient procedure and will be performed on an inpatient basis at an affiliated medical facility, other than Yasa Erim Gedik Pain Clinic. However, you will be treated as if you are a patient of Yasa Erim Gedik Pain Clinic; you will be treated by one of our own doctors, we will schedule your appointments and keep your medical file. Please note that this information gives an impression of a treatment so you can prepare in advance.

After the treatment you will be brought to the recovery room. The department nurse will further guide you and answer any questions you might have. After about an hour you may, in consultation with the doctor, go home. Possible side effects Possible side effects are: After the treatment you can experience post-operative pain, for example, by a hematoma at the site of the treatment. The post-operative pain can last for several weeks, but disappears on its own. You can take painkillers to help with this pain. This can be your own pain medication or paracetamol according to the dosage on the package leaflet. For each operation, there is a limited risk of developing an infection. In order to prevent this, you will get antibiotics administered prior to treatment via the IV. In rare cases, an infection in the intervertebral disc can occur. In the case of an infection of the intervertebral disc you get a fever and experience pain. In case of fever a few days after the treatment, you should consult a doctor.