A catheter apparatus includes a hollow needle having an open, sharpened tip at its distal end. A cannula is telescopically disposed within the needle. The cannula has a closed, blunt tip at its distal end, a hollow lumen, and an open proximal end. The cannula is made of a flexible metal material and has an insulating material covering except at its distal portion defining the distal end. A metallic wire capable of transmitting radio frequency (RF) energy is telescopically disposed within the cannula. The cannula lumen has a seating surface for accommodating the distal end of the wire. The cannula distal end is capable of extending beyond the needle so that the blunt tip may be seated in a critical treatment region in a patient's spinal canal without damaging any nerves. A method of treating a patient's pain includes a step of inserting the catheter apparatus into a critical treatment region in the spinal canal of the patient. Once the needle is located near the treatment region, the cannula is advanced until the blunt tip extends beyond the needle's distal end. RF energy is then transmitted through the wire, the cannula's blunt tip, and to the treatment region.