Use of Pulsed Radiofrequency for the Treatment of Discogenic Back Pain: A Narrative Review

BACKGROUND: Low-back pain (LBP) is one of the most frequently reported symptoms of patients who visit pain clinics, and a significant proportion of them have discogenic pain. Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) stimulation is an effective treatment for various types of pain. PURPOSE: We reviewed articles which investigated the effectiveness of intradiscal PRF for controlling discogenic LBP. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We searched PubMed for papers published prior to August 7, 2020, in which intradiscal PRF was used for treating discogenic LBP. The key search phrase was (intradiscal PRF) for identifying potentially relevant articles. We included articles in which intradiscal PRF was used for controlling LBP. Review articles were excluded. RESULTS: Nine publications were included in this review. Except for one study, all other studies showed positive therapeutic outcomes after treating discogenic LBP using intradiscal PRF. However, the quality of these studies was not high. CONCLUSIONS: This review showed that intradiscal PRF appears to be a helpful treatment method for patients with discogenic LBP. Our review provides insights into the degree of evidence of the therapeutic effects of intradiscal PRF for alleviating discogenic LBP. For confirmation of the effectiveness of intradiscal PRF on discogenic LBP, more high-quality studies are necessary.