Peripheral Nerve Conditions & Treatments

Treating Neuropathy, Nerve Injuries and other Conditions

We treat more than 100 different nerve conditions and injuries. Categories of peripheral nerve disorders we treat include:

• Entrapment neuropathies. Neuropathy is the general term for nerve damage or impairment. There are many types and causes of neuropathies, and symptoms include pain, weakness and decreased sensation. Entrapment neuropathy specifically describes a condition in which the nerve becomes compressed between two other parts of the body, such as a bone and a ligament. Neuropathies can affect any areas of the body where peripheral nerves are present.
• Traumatic nerve injuries. This can refer to any number of nerve injuries that affect different areas of the body, such as the spine, neck, shoulder, hip or knee. They can be a result of various kinds of trauma, such as vehicle crashes, falls or sports injuries. Symptoms include pain, aching, numbness, tingling or burning sensation, and/or inability to control the affected body part.
• Tumors and masses. These are growths that occur in or near the peripheral nerves in any area of the body. They usually are not cancerous but can cause pain and lead to nerve damage and/or loss of function if left untreated.

Conditions We Treat

Entrapment neuropathies

• Anterior interosseous neuropathy (affecting nerve in the front of the forearm)
• Carpal tunnel syndrome (wrist neuropathy)
• Cubital tunnel syndrome (elbow neuropathy)
• Dorsal scapular neuropathy (shoulder neuropathy)
• Fibular tunnel syndrome (knee neuropathy)
• Guyon's canal syndrome (ulnar neuropathy at the wrist)
• Meralgia paresthetica (Lateral femoral cutaneous neuropathy)
• Neurogenic amyotrophy
• Posterior interosseous neuropathy (affecting nerve in the back of the forearm)
• Pronator Teres syndrome (median neuropathy at the forearm)
• Radial tunnel syndrome (elbow/forearm neuropathy)
• Saphenous neuropathy (affecting nerve in the leg/lower knee)
• Superior cluneal neuropathy (affecting nerve in the low back/upper buttocks)
• Suprascapular neuropathy (affecting nerve in the shoulder)
• Tarsal tunnel syndrome (tibial neuropathy at the ankle)

Traumatic/inflammatory nerve injuries

• Adult brachial plexus injuries
• Axillary nerve injury (shoulder dislocation)
• Cervical spinal cord injury
• Erb’s palsy
• Iatrogenic nerve injury (injury resulting from medical treatment)
• Neonatal/obstetric brachial plexus injuries
• Parsonage-Turner syndrome
• Peroneal nerve injury
• Radial nerve injury
• Sciatic nerve injury
• Spinal accessory nerve injury
• Other traumatic nerve injuries

Peripheral Nerve Tumors and Masses

• Intradural nerve sheath tumors
• Intra/extraneural ganglion cysts
• Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors
• Neurofibromas
• Intra/extraneural ganglion cysts
• Perineuriomas
• Schwannomas

Treatment for Peripheral Neuropathy and Nerve Damage

Our surgeons have extensive training and experience in a wide range of surgical techniques that can relieve pain and restore function in patients with peripheral neuropathy and other nerve disorders. Our team is on the leading-edge of surgical management of nerve disorders and injuries, offering innovative procedures that utilize the latest technology and approaches. Procedures we perform include:

• Nerve repair, in which the surgeon reattaches a cut or torn nerve.
• Nerve grafts to replace damaged nerves with healthy nerve from another area of the body
• Nerve transfers, which redirects a healthy but less important nerve and attaches it to the injured nerve
• Neurolysis, which removes scar tissue from an injured nerve to improve function

Techniques for Treating Nerve Pain

Surgical management of traumatic neuroma: A neuroma is a disorganized growth of nerve cells at the site of a nerve injury. During surgery, the neuroma is excised, and the nerve is placed in an area where it will not receive frequent direct contact, leading to a decrease in pain.

Peripheral nerve stimulation: In this procedure, a small electrical device, or electrode, is implanted near a damaged nerve. The electrode delivers rapid electrical pulses that can help alleviate pain. Patients are able to manage the intensity of the stimulus and the sensations they feel though a controller.