For patients considering lumbar radiofrequency denervation, an important question is what happens after treatment in everyday practice. The RAPID study offers encouraging evidence: selected patients reported substantial pain relief, alongside improvements in function and quality of life, during follow-up extending to two years.
What did RAPID study?
Published online on 24 April 2025 in Interventional Pain Medicine, this prospective observational study followed 193 patients across 12 centres. They received conventional thermal radiofrequency treatment for persistent pain attributed to the lumbar facet joints. Almost all had diagnostic medial branch blocks beforehand, usually with marked temporary relief.
Meaningful pain relief over time
Average pain scores were 6.6/10 before treatment, 3.2 at one month, 3.6 at one year and 3.4 at two years. Among those assessed, 77% reported at least 50% pain relief at one month, 69% at one year and 79% at two years. Disability scores improved by an average 8.6 points at two years; quality of life also improved.
Lower average pain scores after treatment
Most patients assessed reported substantial relief
Graphs redrawn from RAPID’s published results. Follow-up groups differ and repeat treatments are included. The bars describe observed outcomes, not the benefit over placebo or another treatment.
View the graph data
| Visit | Mean pain /10 | Assessed |
|---|---|---|
| Before treatment | 6.6 | 187 |
| 1 month | 3.2 | 178 |
| 12 months | 3.6 | 133 |
| 24 months | 3.4 | 70 |
| Visit | Responders | Assessed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | 77% | 177 |
| 3 months | 72% | 172 |
| 6 months | 72% | 151 |
| 12 months | 69% | 133 |
| 24 months | 79% | 70 |
What do these results mean?
These are encouraging outcomes for people with persistent, carefully assessed facet-related back pain. Prospective follow-up adds useful information about how patients fare after treatment in clinical practice. For a patient weighing up options, changes in everyday function and wellbeing matter alongside pain scores.
Patient selection remains central. The findings are most relevant to patients resembling those studied, rather than everyone with back pain. They support a positive discussion of denervation as a treatment option, with individual goals and expectations considered during assessment.
Putting the findings in context
RAPID had no comparison group and was sponsored by Boston Scientific. Two-year results were available for 70 patients. Repeat denervation was allowed: 71 patients underwent another procedure, so the graphs do not establish two years of relief from one treatment.
Observational research complements randomised trials. It helps describe outcomes in practice, while controlled studies better establish the benefit attributable to treatment. Read together, these forms of evidence help patients and clinicians make informed decisions.
Original research
Provenzano DA and colleagues. Assessment of real-world, prospective outcomes in patients treated with lumbar radiofrequency ablation for chronic pain (RAPID). Interventional Pain Medicine. 2025;4(2):100576. Published online 24 April 2025.
DOI: 10.1016/j.inpm.2025.100576 · Read the open-access paper
Article published 27 October 2026. Educational information; individual assessment is needed to determine whether treatment is appropriate.