Spinal facet joint nerve ablation. Coloured lateral X-ray of the bones (vertebrae) of a human neck, showing a patient with neck pain undergoing facet joint nerve ablation. The front of the spine is at left. This technique is called radiofrequency (RF) rhizotomy. The waves used are of radio frequencies (similar to microwaves) and heat the nerve, damaging it enough to reduce the pain, but still allowing the nerve to regenerate. This is one of the possible treatments for pain arising from the facet joints, often caused by generation of the joint such as in arthritis.