Is a direct visualized rhizotomy painful?
Is a direct visualized rhizotomy painful? https://phoenixspineandjoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/shutterstock_181679273-1024x683.jpg 1024 683 Phoenix Spine & Joint https://phoenixspineandjoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/shutterstock_181679273-1024x683.jpgAlthough it’s an outpatient procedure, some wonder if a direct visualized rhizotomy (DVR) is painful. Here at Phoenix Spine & Joint, our health care team wants to help you understand more about this procedure.
What is direct visualized rhizotomy?
Our experienced surgical team at Phoenix Spine & Joint uses DVR to treat back pain caused by inflamed facet joints. These joints run along the spine, and they create the two outer rows of bumps you feel when you run a hand down your spine. Each of these joints has two nerves called medial nerves that run into each side of the joint, and these nerves are responsible for sending pain signals to your brain when the facet joint is inflamed or damaged.
To relieve the pain caused by inflamed facet joints, DVR cuts the medial nerves running to the problematic joint, and this typically helps relieve this sort of back pain. The procedure is accomplished using a small, 5-millimeter incision above the joint in question, and is typically finished within 30 minutes.
Is a direct visualized rhizotomy painful?
Now that you have a better idea what DVR is, you may be wondering if a DVR procedure is painful. While there is some pain associated with any surgical procedure, DVR patients tend to experience a very low amount of pain.
For instance, you shouldn’t feel any pain during the procedure, and this is because it’s performed under anesthetic. For many of these procedures, our surgical team uses a type of anesthesia called twilight anesthetic. Twilight anesthetic is when you’re given enough anesthetic that you can’t feel pain and you aren’t anxious. However, you’re not completely asleep with this method. If you’re uncomfortable with twilight anesthetic, our team can also do DVR under general anesthesia.
Once your surgery is completed, your pain should still be minimal compared to more invasive procedures. For one thing, the incision used is very small and no muscles or other tissue is likely to be cut, and both of these factors help minimize the post-surgical pain you’ll feel. In fact, most patients who have a DVR procedure are able to return to work the very next day.
Find an experienced DVR team at Phoenix Spine & Joint
Our surgical team at Phoenix Spine & Joint has performed thousands of DVR procedures, and this means we have the experience to make this procedure as painless as possible for you.
If you want to find out if DVR is right for your back pain, there’s one initial step you’ll need to take. Contact one of our patient care coordinators today for more information or to schedule a free second opinion.
