Furtado Pessoa de Mendonca Laura, Encalada Sebastian, Mosquera-Moscoso Johanna, Cascio Matthew A, Hallo-Carrasco Alejandro, Eldrige Jason, Hunt Christine L
Department of Pain Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
Interv Pain Med. 2024 Dec 19;4(1):100535. doi: 10.1016/j.inpm.2024.100535. eCollection 2025 Mar.
Patients suffering from chronic pain use online platforms, such as Reddit, to engage in personal exchanges while maintaining anonymity. Analysis of comments and questions posted on these online forums provide unique insight into conversations that patients may be having outside of the physician's office regarding pain-relief procedures, specifically radiofrequency ablation (RFA).
Using the Python Reddit Application Programming Interface Wrapper, we identified and screened Reddit users' posts. Analyzed data was organized in a spreadsheet from relevant threads.
A comprehensive analysis was conducted on a total of 142 threads, encompassing 1676 comments and sub-comments from four forums. The authors claimed to be patients in most threads (n = 137), with more negative (n = 32) than positive (n = 7) threads due to pain improvement expectations and insurance issues. Categorically, eleven users would recommend RFA against nine who wouldn't. Out of 577 relevant comments, the majority addressed pain (n = 405). Among them, 187 comments mentioned pain improvement after RFA, while 130 reported no improvement, in a few cases, patients blamed their physicians (n = 4). Twenty-nine comments referred to medial branch block, with five expressing negative opinions. Ninety-six comments centered around duration of pain relief, varying from 4 days to 36 months, and it was shorter than expected in fifteen cases. Adverse events (n = 36) such as arachnoiditis, headaches, itching, and worsening pain were mentioned. Additionally, some comments discussed pain experienced during the procedure (n = 21). Other comments included inquiries regarding local atrophy, its potential impact on spinal balance, and whether RFA could potentially exacerbate a degenerative process despite providing pain relief.
This Reddit analysis offered valuable insights into the patients' perspective on RFA for chronic pain relief, including unusual concerns. Our findings are limited by the platform's anonymous nature, selection bias towards negative experiences and vulnerability to external manipulation. Despite these constraints, by understanding what patients may be reading about the experiences of others undergoing these procedures, physicians may engage in a more informed discussion with patients about RFA.
患有慢性疼痛的患者会使用在线平台，如Reddit，在保持匿名的情况下进行个人交流。对这些在线论坛上发布的评论和问题进行分析，能让我们独特地洞察患者在医生办公室之外可能就疼痛缓解程序，特别是射频消融术（RFA）所进行的对话。
我们使用Python Reddit应用程序编程接口包装器来识别和筛选Reddit用户的帖子。将分析的数据整理到来自相关主题帖的电子表格中。
对总共142个主题帖进行了全面分析，这些主题帖包含来自四个论坛的1676条评论和子评论。在大多数主题帖（n = 137）中，作者自称是患者，由于对疼痛改善的期望和保险问题，负面主题帖（n = 32）多于正面主题帖（n = 7）。明确地说，11名用户会推荐RFA，而9名用户则不会。在577条相关评论中，大多数涉及疼痛（n = 405）。其中，187条评论提到RFA后疼痛有所改善，而130条报告没有改善，在少数情况下，患者指责他们的医生（n = 4）。29条评论提到了内侧支阻滞，其中5条表达了负面意见。96条评论围绕疼痛缓解的持续时间，从4天到36个月不等，有15例短于预期。提到了诸如蛛网膜炎、头痛、瘙痒和疼痛加重等不良事件（n = 36）。此外，一些评论讨论了手术过程中经历的疼痛（n = 21）。其他评论包括关于局部萎缩、其对脊柱平衡的潜在影响以及RFA尽管能缓解疼痛但是否可能加剧退变过程的询问。
这项Reddit分析为患者对RFA缓解慢性疼痛的看法提供了有价值的见解，包括一些不同寻常的担忧。我们的研究结果受到该平台匿名性质、对负面经历的选择偏倚以及易受外部操纵的限制。尽管有这些限制，但通过了解患者可能正在阅读的关于其他接受这些手术患者的经历，医生可以与患者就RFA进行更明智的讨论。
