Cooled Radiofrequency Device Helps Manage Knee Pain

A novel minimally invasive, thermal radiofrequency (RF) pain management system uses water-cooled technology for the relief of chronic moderate to severe knee pain caused by osteoarthritis (OA).

The Halyard Health COOLIEF Knee Cooled RF treatment is a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure that uses cooled RF energy to safely target the sensory nerves causing pain. As the device emits RF energy to heat and cool the nervous tissue at the site of pain, it continuously circulates water, thus creating a treatment area that is larger than conventional RF treatments. The combination targets the pain-causing nerves without excessive heating, leading to pain relief.

In a study comparing COOLIEF Cooled RF to intra-articular steroid injections, 67.1% of the cooled RF group and 62.7%of the steroid injection group reported symptoms of severe arthritis at baseline. But at six months post-procedure, only 5.2% of the cooled RF group reported the same level of severity, versus 37.3% of patients treated with steroid injections. Other studies have shown that COOLIEF Cooled RF can provide chronic back pain patients with up to 24 months of pain relief, improved physical function, and reduced drug utilization.

“This treatment is clinically proven to be significantly more effective in relieving OA knee pain, increasing functionality, and decreasing the need for pain medication for up to a year,” said Lisa Kudlacz, vice president of Halyard Health. “The U.S. consumes an astounding 80% of the global opioid supply, with only five percent of the population. At Halyard we are committed to helping curb the opioid epidemic by providing solutions that help patients manage pain without the risk of addiction.”

“I see many patients who suffer with chronic osteoarthritis knee pain in my practice who are not immediate candidates for knee replacement surgery due to co-morbidities, such as obesity or other chronic health issues,” said Timothy Davis, MD, founder and medical director of Orthopedic Pain Specialists (Santa Monica, CA, USA). “COOLIEF Cooled RF treatment provides significant pain relief for patients with OA of the knee until they are able to undergo surgery. Until now there have been few options available for my patients.”