To explore the clinical effect of radiofrequency ablation on knee joint pain and function improvement in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

A total of 68 patients (19 males, 49 females) with knee pain secondary to rheumatoid arthritis (mean age, 54.3±10.3 years; range, 30~78 years) were consecutively enrolled from March to November 2023 at the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University. Patients were randomized using a random number table into a control group (n=34) receiving oral analgesic medication and the RFA group (n=34) undergoing genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation. All patients continued to receive standardized background antirheumatic therapy. Pain intensity and knee function were assessed using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and the Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale, respectively. Outcomes were evaluated before treatment and after the intervention, followed by between-group comparisons. Clinical efficacy was further assessed. Serum rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody levels were measured at baseline and at 6 months post-treatment.

All participants completed the 6-month follow-up. No statistically significant differences were observed in baseline characteristics or outcome measures between the two groups (P>0.05). Post-treatment assessments revealed significant within-group improvements in NRS and Lysholm scores (P<0.05). Between-group comparisons demonstrated that the RFA group exhibited significantly greater reductions in pain scores, more pronounced improvements in knee function, and higher clinical efficacy than the control group (P<0.05). RF and CCP levels did not differ significantly either between groups or within groups when comparing baseline with 6-month post-treatment values.

Genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation confers superior analgesic and functional benefits compared with oral analgesic therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related knee pain, without exerting measurable effects on serologic markers of disease activity.