Chronic neck and back pain after a car accident used to leave many injured people with limited options. Treatment often meant physical therapy, medication, or surgery. Today, modern pain management has evolved.
One procedure that is helping injured patients in Geneva, Batavia, and St. Charles is radiofrequency ablation for facet joint nerve pain.
For many accident victims, this minimally invasive procedure provides meaningful relief when conservative care fails.
What Is Radiofrequency Ablation?
Radiofrequency ablation, or RFA, is a procedure that targets the small medial branch nerves near the facet joints in the spine. These nerves transmit pain signals from irritated or injured joints.
Using controlled heat generated by radiofrequency energy, a physician disrupts those pain signals. The goal is not to alter the spine’s structure, but to reduce chronic pain coming from facet joint inflammation or injury.
Years ago, this procedure was not as common. Today, it is widely accepted in pain management and frequently recommended for persistent neck and lower back pain following trauma.
Why Facet Joint Injuries Are Common After Car Accidents
Rear-end collisions and sudden impacts often cause hyperextension or rapid flexion of the neck and spine. That motion can irritate or damage facet joints.
Common symptoms include:
- Ongoing neck pain
- Lower back pain
- Pain with twisting or extension
- Headaches associated with neck injury
When physical therapy, injections, or medication do not provide lasting relief, physicians may recommend radiofrequency ablation.
Illinois Law Requires Coverage for Reasonable and Necessary Treatment
Under Illinois law, injured individuals are entitled to recover the reasonable value of necessary medical treatment caused by another party’s negligence.
Illinois follows a fault-based system. If another driver caused the crash, their liability insurance is responsible for medical expenses that are reasonable and medically necessary.
Additionally:
- Health insurance policies in Illinois must cover medically necessary treatment under the terms of the policy.
- If you carry Medical Payments Coverage, often called MedPay, under your auto policy, that coverage applies regardless of fault for reasonable medical expenses related to the accident.
- In personal injury claims, courts allow recovery of the reasonable cost of medical care, even when advanced procedures such as radiofrequency ablation are involved, so long as a treating physician determines it is appropriate.
If a licensed physician recommends radiofrequency ablation for chronic facet nerve pain caused by a crash, that treatment generally qualifies as medically necessary care under Illinois standards.
Insurance companies may question newer procedures, but they cannot arbitrarily deny coverage when treatment is supported by medical documentation.
Why This Matters in a Personal Injury Case
Insurance carriers often argue that neck and back injuries are temporary. However, when a physician recommends radiofrequency ablation, it indicates persistent and clinically supported pain.
Proper documentation of:
- Diagnostic imaging
- Facet injections confirming the pain source
- Physician recommendations
- Treatment records
Can significantly strengthen a claim.
Modern medicine recognizes that chronic pain after a collision is real. Illinois law allows injured people to recover the cost of legitimate treatment aimed at restoring function and relieving pain.
Contact O’Brien Law if You Are Facing Ongoing Treatment
If you are undergoing radiofrequency ablation or have been told it may help your chronic neck or back pain after a crash in Geneva, Batavia, or St. Charles, your injury should be taken seriously.
O’Brien Law represents injury victims throughout Kane and DuPage County.
You should not have to fight for coverage of medically necessary treatment. O’Brien Law can help protect your rights and pursue full compensation under Illinois law.
