@dna41 The doc numbed the area before the injections, which were painful. I am 90 yo so doc suggested sedation beforehand might cause complications. It is also important, I believe, for the doc to know, based on where you feel it, the right spots to inject.

So it can be painful. I was sore at that spot that day, but by the next day and a good night’s sleep, soreness gone.

Please read ch47’s post from August 2023 on this thread. He/she gives a very good description of the process.

And, despite the pain, I would/will do it again when the nerves grow back.

Very important that the doctor who does this procedure has the right credentials. Dr. Suchy in Buffalo did residency at Yale and a fellowship at Cleveland Clinic so he is an anesthesiologist as well as MD. Three years ago a physiatrist gave me a medial branch block (the preliminary trial test for the RFA) and told me it hadn’t worked. Obviously he got it wrong.