New Treatment for Chronic Knee Pain

What are your options for reducing chronic pain? Certain drugs are good at reducing pain, of course, but some of the most effective ones are dangerously addictive when used for more than a few days. Cortisol injections can reduce the pain from certain types of arthritis. That used to be about it. But now there's a new method is called "cooled radiofrequency therapy", or CooliefTM for short.

Coolief is a non-invasive, outpatient technique designed to block pain for prolonged periods. Radiofrequency energy is applied to needles inserted into the site of pain. The radiofrequency energy heats sensory nerve endings, damaging them and blocking their ability to transmit pain signals. Because the radiofrequency energy heats up the needles, the needles are simultaneously cooled to avoid widespread tissue damage. The result is immediate relief from pain. And because damaged sensory nerve endings take a long time to heal, the pain relief can last for up to 24 months.

The technique is currently FDA-approved for the treatment of osteoarthritic knee pain, but it's been used to treat chronic back pain as well. It is likely that the technique will gain further FDA approvals in the not-too-distant future. The cost (about $4,000) is covered by some health insurance policies.

If the Coolief technique proves to be both safe and effective in treating different sources of chronic pain, some day physicians may be able to stop writing so many prescriptions for addictive pain-killers!