Effects of Pulsed Radiofrequency Duration in Patients With Chronic Lumbosacral Radicular Pain .
Effects of Pulsed Radiofrequency Duration in Patients With Chronic Lumbosacral Radicular Pain: A Randomized Double-Blind Study.
Neuromodulation . 2025 Feb;28(2):256-262.Sixty-eight patients with chronic lumbosacral radicular pain were randomized to receive PRF 6 minutes (n=34; applied as 3×2 min with 2-min pauses) or PRF 12 minutes (n=34; continuous), both at 42 °C targeting the dorsal root ganglion; modified intention-to-treat included thirty-one per arm after three per group improved pre-procedure and did not receive PRF. The primary outcome was leg pain numerical rating scale (NRS) at 3 months. Secondary outcomes included back/leg NRS over time, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Medication Quantification Scale (MQS), Global Perceived Effect of Satisfaction (GPES), and adverse events. Outcomes were assessed at 1, 3, and 6 months. Overall, the results revealed no between-group difference in 3-month leg pain and no significant differences across secondary measures except higher GPES at 6 months favoring 6-minutes; both groups improved from baseline without adverse events. These findings suggest prolonging PRF to 12 minutes confers no additional analgesic benefit over 6 minutes in this setting.
Unlock the Full ACE Report
You have access to 4 more FREE articles this month.
Click below to unlock and view this ACE Reports
Unlock Now
Critical appraisals of the latest, high-impact randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews in orthopaedics
Access to OrthoEvidence podcast content, including collaborations with the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, interviews with internationally recognized surgeons, and roundtable discussions on orthopaedic news and topics
Subscription to The Pulse, a twice-weekly evidence-based newsletter designed to help you make better clinical decisions
Exclusive access to original content articles, including in-house systematic reviews, and articles on health research methods and hot orthopaedic topics