A step beyond basic pain management services, radiofrequency ablation employs high-frequency energy at a relatively low temperature to deactivate pain-generating nerves for a longer period of time than injections do. As recently as 15 years ago, this minimally invasive interventional technique was not frequently used, but many pain management physicians now block nerves through radiofrequency ablation on a daily basis to treat chronic neck and back pain as well as headaches, trigeminal neuralgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, sciatica, facet syndrome and sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Here's a look at the procedure.