HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE NERVE DAMAGE?
Pain is a protective reaction; it’s a signal to your brain that something is causing distress in or to your body. When you step on a sharp rock, the nerve in your foot sends a signal to your brain and you lift your foot before the sharp rock can break the skin.
But if you have nerve damage, this communication to your brain can be faulty. Damaged nerves can send signals when there is no bodily distress or not send signals when there is bodily distress.
What Causes Nerve Damage?
Nerve damage is caused by damage to the nerve. This damage resulting from trauma can manifest in many different ways including:
- Pressure
- Compression
- Stretching
- Severing
Nerve damage can also be caused by:
- Diabetes
- Pinched Nerve
- Sciatca
- Spinal Stenosis
- Herniated Disc
- Bulging Disc
- Disc Degeneration
What are the Symptoms of Nerve Damage?
Nerve Damage typically refers to any trauma connected to your brain or spinal cord and can affect the sensory, automatic or motor nerves. The pain you experience with nerve damage can differ from patient to patient. Nerve pain, also called neuropathic pain, can be described as burning, stabbing, and prickling. Other common symptoms associated with nerve damage include:
- Tingling
- Weakness
- Numbness
- Muscle atrophy
- Paralysis
- Loss of balance
If you think you are experiencing the symptoms of nerve damage, get a head start on diagnosing your condition below.
HOW IS NERVE DAMAGE TREATED?
If you suspect that you have nerve damage, it’s important that you contact an expert at Oasis Orthopedic and Spine quickly. Early treatment in nerve damage can prevent severe complications and permanent injury.
Non-Surgical Treatments for Nerve Damage
To diagnose your nerve damage, the experts at Oasis Orthopedic and Spine will use advanced imaging to examine your situations. These images can include:
- EMG
- MRI
- Nerve conduction study
The severity of your nerve damage will dictate the treatment prescribed to you. If the nerve damage is mild, or the nerve is not severed in half, you may be able to begin treatment with non-surgical options. This may include:
- Rest
- Anti-Inflammatory medication
- Physical therapy
- Injections
- Nerve blocks
Surgical Treatments for Nerve Damage
If non-surgical treatments do not work in reducing your pain, you need to consider a minimally invasive surgery. If the nerve is severed, your specialist will want to consider surgical procedures to reconnect the nerve. Restoring signals between the brain and the body.
If the nerve is compressed or impeded in functioning because of a known spine issue, you will need to consider the corresponding surgical options associated with your specific spine condition.
Common surgical treatments associated with nerve damage and nerve related spine conditions include:
- Cervical Discectomy
- Microdiscectomy
- Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion
- Endoscopic Discectomy
- 360 Fusion
- Endoscopic Foraminotomy
- Microdiscectomy
If you think you are experiencing pain from nerve damage, find the right treatment for you with our interactive treatment finder below.