Objective: Describe long-term treatment outcomes of nervus femoralis radiofrequency ablation (NF-RFA) for recalcitrant greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS).
Design: Cross-sectional study.
Methods: Chart review of consecutive patients who underwent NF-RFA from 2022-2023 was performed. A standardized telephone survey was utilized to capture current Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) scores. The primary outcome was ≥50% NPRS score reduction at follow-up. A secondary analysis was completed on free text responses asking patients to describe post-procedural changes in pain and function in their own words.
Results: Outcomes were collected from 25 patients (aged 71.7 ± 9.3 years; 80.0% female; BMI 29.3 ± 6.8 kg/m2) for 27 NF-RFA procedures at a minimum follow-up time of six months post-procedure. Average follow-up time was 13.1 ± 4.9 months. ≥50% NPRS reduction from baseline was reported by 55.6% (n =15/27; 95% CI: 37.3-72.4) of patients. A ≥ 2-point NPRS score reduction from baseline was reported by 70.4% (n =19/27; 95% CI: 51.5-84.2) of patients, and 51.9% (n =14/27; 95% CI: 34.0-69.3) reported a PGIC score consistent with "much improved" or "very much improved".
Conclusion: In this cohort, over 55% of patients who received NF-RFA as treatment for refractory GTPS reported at least 50% improvement in hip pain at an average follow-up of approximately 13 months. The majority of free text responses from patients indicated that they would recommend NF-RFA, while approximately 25% reported ongoing pain and disability from low back pain or a return of index hip pain symptoms post-procedure.
Keywords: Nervus femoralis; greater trochanteric pain syndrome; lateral hip pain; radiofrequency ablation.
© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.