Neuropathy
Is A Pinched Or Injured Nerve Involved?
During your consultation with Dr. Peled, he will take a thorough history focusing specifically on your neuropathy symptoms. We will discuss all the prior treatments which you have tried in the past, which ones were successful and which ones were unsuccessful and go over any imaging studies or diagnostic tests that you may have had.
Dr. Peled will then perform a comprehensive physical examination to figure out if there are any physical findings that suggest a pinched nerve could be causing your pain. Sometimes, a nerve block will be used to confirm whether a suspected nerve is actually the culprit in your particular case. Sometimes, other tests will be recommended. If the information gathered suggests that there is a peripheral nerve involved and is contributing to your neuropathy symptoms, you may be a candidate for surgery to addess the injured nerve.
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How Are They Performed?
Almost universally, surgery to address injured nerves in neuropathy patients can be performed on an outpatient basis. On rare occasions, a 23-hour overnight stay at a surgery center or hospital may be necessary. During the procedure, Dr. Peled carefully exposes the injured nerves and removes any scar tissue and connective tissue which may be compressing them.
It is important to remember that the nerves themselves are not commonly cut so as to preserve as much function and sensation as possible. If the injured nerves in your particular case happen to be in your upper or lower extremities, only one extremity can be operated upon at one time because you will then favor that extremity and use the other side more. We want to make sure that the first side is fully healed before we operate on the other side because the reverse will be true following that second procedure.
There is usually very little in the way of post-operative, confining dressings and/or restrictions and patients are able to eat and drink whatever they like immediately following their procedure. Pain medicine is prescribed for post-operative discomfort which is usually very well tolerated.
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How Soon Will I See Benefits?
The ultimate outcome from an operation to decompress one or more nerves is dependent on numerous factors such as the nerves in question, the patient’s age and co-morbidities, the duration and severity of symptoms as well as other factors. With respect to diabetic neuropathy (the most common form in the United States as well as worldwide) the published results suggest that in appropriately selected patients, success rates in terms of good relief of pain and restoration of sensation can be above 70%.
Depending on your specific history, the particular type of procedure you have had performed and which nerve or nerves have been addressed in your particular case, recovery times can also vary. Generally speaking, a procedure is not considered unsuccessful until at least a year has gone by as nerves can often take many months to recover and patients can often see steady improvement for many months following their operations.
A much more specific and accurate answer to this question can be provided once Dr. Peled knows the particulars of your situation which is why it is so important to have a formal consultation and examination as an initial step.
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