The peripheral nervous system consists of the nerves in your face, chest, arms, legs, and abdomen, typically the nerves outside your brain and spinal cord. Damage to the peripheral nerves due to an injury, surgery, or diabetic neuropathy can lead to chronic pain that is difficult to diagnose and treat. In most cases, chronic pain that hasn’t been relieved by first-line treatment methods may result from injury to the peripheral nerves. The good news is that Ali H. Mesiwala, MD, FAANS offers peripheral nerve surgery San Bernardino – a cutting-edge treatment caused by injury or nerve compression.
Who is a good candidate for peripheral nerve surgery?
The optimal patient for peripheral nerve surgery has the following:
- Localized pain or pain in a specific area for more than three months and doesn’t improve with other treatments like medications and physical therapy
- Had previous workups by other specialists like physical medicine doctors, orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, or pain specialists without establishing an obvious cause of the pain.
Patients with chronic pain after surgical procedures like knee replacement, hernia repair, chest surgery, and abdominal surgery may also be considered for peripheral nerve surgery.
Preparing for peripheral nerve surgery
Like any other surgical procedure, you should schedule a personal consultation with your surgeon to know how you can benefit from surgery. An initial consultation is also vital to establish the cause of your pain, which is not always straightforward. Most often, patients will have seen several other physicians, physical therapists, or pain specialists without finding pain relief. If you need any further consultation, your provider will get you the necessary information ahead of time. You may also need a temporary block of the involved nerve before your consultation for an accurate diagnosis.
During the consultation, you will provide a complete medical history, including information about past and present medical conditions, surgical procedures, and any medications and supplements you are taking. Your surgeon will conduct a complete physical exam, and you will possibly receive a local anesthetic injection to diagnose the cause of your pain. Your surgeon will then discuss the possible risks and complications of the procedure to help you make an informed decision.
What does peripheral nerve surgery involve?
The contribution of peripheral neuropathy to chronic pain is not well known, and diagnosing this problem can be difficult. A specialist will first perform a thorough patient history and physical examination to identify the cause of the pain and whether there is an appropriate surgical solution.
The type of procedure your specialist will perform depends on the kind of pain and its location. In most cases, peripheral neuropathy results from compression or pressure on a specific nerve or group of nerves. In such cases, specialists often find that relieving stress decreases or eliminates a patient’s chronic pain. To accomplish this, your surgeon will make a relatively small incision during an outpatient procedure. In other instances, the surgeon may need to divide and reroute the nerves, resulting in a limited area of skin numbness – a welcome trade-off for the pain.
If you have chronic pain, consult your specialist at Ali H. Mesiwala, MD, FAANS, to know if you can benefit from peripheral nerve surgery.
