Question
I had a Rhizolysis procedure on the 21 December for the Right side Sacrialic joint nerve degenerate. Today some three weeks later I have seen no improvement whatever and the pain is worse than it was before the procedure. Does this mean that the procedure hasn,t worked, also if it is the Front nerves of the Sacrialic joint which cannot be treated what is the alternative treatment???

Answer
Dear Shirley,

According to this online article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1879116/

"Rhizolysis was successful in 67% of patients with mechanical low back pain without evidence of disc herniation and nerve-root compression or psychogenic pain, who had not previously undergone an operation for relief of the pain."

The procedure is performed on the posterior primary ramus of the spinal nerves in order to deaden the sensations of pain associated with facet joint degenerative changes.

So...

If the procedure failed, it indicates that your pain might not be caused by the facet joints of the spine.  (it could also simply mean that even though the facet joints are the cause of your pain, the procedure was not successful. )

If I were you I would go back to my doctor and try and determine how convinced they are of the diagnosis for which they are treating you.  Have they ruled out disc issues?

I would also consider chiropractic care, since facet joint degenerative changes and the pain associated with them often responds well to spinal manipulation.  

It is difficult trying to direct any person through limited on-line communication, but I hope that this gives you some ideas as to things that you can consider.  You still have many options available to you, but I believe that it is important to re-visit the examination and diagnosis process.

Keith Biggs, DC
http://www.eastmesachiropractor.com
http://www.biggschiropractic.blogspot.com