Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Apr 26:18:2203-2213.
doi: 10.2147/JPR.S512813. eCollection 2025.

Radiofrequency for Chronic Knee Pain: A Literature Review

Affiliations
Review

Radiofrequency for Chronic Knee Pain: A Literature Review

Chao Shang et al. J Pain Res. .

Abstract

Objective: This review aimed to explore the current applications of radiofrequency (RF) therapy in managing chronic knee pain and to compare different treatment strategies.

Methods: A comprehensive review of recent literature was conducted, concentrating on variations in target selection, guidance techniques, and treatment parameters that influence therapeutic outcomes.

Results: RF therapy is a minimally invasive and effective treatment for chronic knee pain, providing faster recovery compared with traditional interventions. However, differences in treatment options can lead to significant variability in the efficacy and safety.

Conclusion: A thorough understanding of the distinct characteristics of various RF therapy strategies is required for optimizing chronic knee pain management. Future research should emphasize systematic evaluation of these approaches to refine clinical practice and establish evidence-based pain management protocols.

Keywords: chronic knee pain; pain management; radiofrequency; treatment strategies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram of radiofrequency ablation targeting the genicular nerves.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic diagram of radiofrequency (RF) energy mechanisms in targeted tissue modulation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic diagram of water-cooled radiofrequency (RF) system for controlled thermal ablation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Schematic diagram of genicular nerves anatomy.

Similar articles

References

    1. Bergman S, Thorstensson C, Andersson MLE. Chronic widespread pain and its associations with quality of life and function at a 20- year follow-up of individuals with chronic knee pain at inclusion. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2019;20(1):592. doi:10.1186/s12891-019-2976-3 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lee SH, Son C, Yeo S, et al. Cross-sectional analysis of self-reported sedentary behaviors and chronic knee pain among South Korean adults over 50 years of age in KNHANES 2013-2015. BMC Public Health. 2019;19(1):1375. doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7653-9 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Orhurhu V, Urits I, Grandhi R, et al. Systematic review of radiofrequency ablation for management of knee pain. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2019;23(8):55. doi:10.1007/s11916-019-0792-y - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chalidis B, Papadopoulos P, Givissis P, Pitsilos C. Is radiofrequency ablation superior to intra-articular injections for the treatment of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis?-A systematic review. J Pers Med. 2023;13(8):1227. doi:10.3390/jpm13081227 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Delgado AR, Chapas A. Introduction and overview of radiofrequency treatments in aesthetic dermatology. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2022;21(Suppl 1):S1–s10. doi:10.1111/jocd.15026 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources