Radiofrequency Ablation

COOLIEF is a minimally-invasive, outpatient procedure designed to target only the sensory nerves directly responsible for causing a patient’s knee or hip pain. Studies indicate that COOLIEF provides patients suffering from chronic knee or hip pain an average of 12 months of relief. Furthermore, during the 12 months of relief, patients’ dependency on medications decreases and they notice an improvement in their mobility and up to a 50-80% decrease in pain. COOLIEF has been approved by the FDA to treat arthritic pain related to the knee and hip.

The procedure is performed using fluoroscopic and ultrasound guidance; as the patient’s nerve tissue is heated, water circulates through the COOLIEF device. The nerve thereafter can not conduct the pain sensation from inside the hip or knee joint to the brain. The patient loses no sensation to the skin around the joint. This procedure allows the surgeon to safely target these sensory nerves that are causing the pain.

Traditionally, individuals suffering from chronic pain have relied on prescription medications and/or over-the-counter treatments to ease their pain. Although many of these medications can be effective in relieving some of the pain, they are not able to target the nerves responsible for causing the pain.

It is a great option for those patients that need Total Knee or Hip Replacement surgery but might want to delay the surgery due to other medical issues or simply want another option other than invasive surgery.

The COOLIEF procedure can treat chronic hip and knee pain, providing patients around 12 months of relief, consequently improving his or her physical abilities and reducing their dependency on pain medication during this timeframe.

We can help determine if this procedure is right for you. If it is not, he may recommend another, non-surgical, minimally-invasive procedure available at Orthopedics Specialty Institute.