Radiofrequency (RF) Rhizotomy or radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a therapeutic procedure designed to decrease and/or eliminate severe pain from degenerative facet nerves within the spine. Your pain symptoms may be along your neck, back or low back. RF Rhizotomy is a therapeutic procedure that does not treat the root cause of pain, but rather is designed to decrease or eliminate pain completely by applying highly localized heat to burn the nerve and therefore break the pain signal from the spine to the brain.