James T. Brunz, MD
Specialties – Areas Of Focus
PAIN MANAGEMENT
• Non-Opioid, Non-Surgical Acute and Chronic Pain Treatments
• Non-Surgical Back and Neck Pain Management
• Spinal Cord Stimulator Implants
• DRG Stimulation
• Epidural Injections
• Interventional Spine Injections
• Radiofrequency Ablation (Rhizotomy)
• Neuropathy
• Chronic Pain
• Nerve Root Block
• Trigger Point Injection
• Kyphoplasty
• Vertebrogenic Chronic Low Back Pain (Intracept Procedure)
About
Dr. Brunz is a fellowship-trained pain medicine physician who provides non-surgical musculoskeletal care to patients for whom surgery is not the best option or has failed to relieve symptoms adequately. He works closely with the surgeons at OI to provide comprehensive musculoskeletal care. He specializes in treating neuropathy, joint, neck, and back-related pain, and spinal cord and DRG stimulator implants. In addition, his practice provides interventional pain services for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Dr. Brunz has been selected as a Key Opinion Leader for St. Jude Medical in the field of neuromodulation. This is a select group of physicians who are chosen because of their expertise in the field of neuromodulation.
Outside of the office, Dr. Brunz enjoys hunting, fishing, snowboarding, watersports, and spending time at the lake with his family. He is an avid collegiate wrestling and Husker football fan. Over the years, he has been involved in coaching youth athletics, including wrestling and baseball and supporting local charities such as the American Cancer Society and the Boys and Girls Club.
Get to know Dr. Brunz
Testimonials
Benefits of Radiofrequency Ablation for Your Back and Neck Arthritis
Arthritis pain can keep you from enjoying hobbies you love or getting the rest you need. If you’re not interested or able to pursue advanced surgical options, there are alternatives. One such alternative is a radiofrequency ablation (RFA) also known as a “rhizotomy.”
Read on to learn more about RFA and how it can help treat your arthritis.
What is radiofrequency ablation?
Radiofrequency ablation is used to treat severe, chronic pain associated with arthritis of the spine. The procedure uses heat, concentrated on specific nerve tissues, to prevent pain signals from reaching the brain.
A physician uses X-ray guidance to direct a specialized radiofrequency needle along the targeted nerves. A small amount of electrical current is used to target the correct nerves and to help align the needle. Then radiofrequency waves are sent through the needle to heat its tip and disrupt the nerve’s ability to send signals.
Additionally…
- RFA is a minimally invasive operation and can typically be done in day-surgery clinics. Patients go home shortly after the operation.
- Patients are awake during the procedure (although a sedative is administered), so any risks with anesthesia are avoided.
- Pain can be relieved for anywhere between six months to a year.
How does it help treat arthritis?
A rhizotomy procedure can be beneficial to facet or spondylosis arthritis in a few ways. While the joint will still be arthritic, the pain will be relieved significantly. The pain relief is also considered long-lasting. The average steroid injection provides about three to four months of relief, whereas an RFA provides 10-12 months. As a result, people get an increase in mobility and can be considerably more active.
It’s also a great alternative to surgery, especially for people with certain medical complications in which they can’t have surgery or surgery hasn’t been effective in the past. Others might be too young or not have enough pain to warrant a surgery. RFA can be particularly beneficial for these people.
