Vol. 3 No. 10 (2023)
Health Technology Reviews

Radiofrequency Ablation for Chronic Knee, Hip, and Shoulder Pain

Published October 10, 2023

Key Messages

  • For patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), radiofrequency ablation may reduce pain and improve function compared to other nonsurgical interventions without increasing adverse events.
  • There is insufficient evidence to suggest that radiofrequency ablation reduces pain or improves function among patients with chronic hip pain.
  • We did not find any studies or guidelines on the clinical effectiveness of radiofrequency ablation for treating chronic shoulder pain that met the inclusion criteria for this review.
  • Three guidelines conditionally recommend the use of radiofrequency ablation for patients with knee OA, and 1 guideline conditionally recommends the use of radiofrequency ablation for hip joint pain following diagnostic blocks.