nerve damage after surgery
Nerve Damage After Surgery
The different aspects of nerve damage after surgery are taken into account through this article. Focus of the article is on understanding about this complex medical problem through explanation of important points.
- Neurapraxia: In the condition called neurapraxia, there is no alteration in the structure of nerves however, conduction of impulse is interrupted due to the injury. This condition results from external injuries that are not very severe; loss of sensory and motor functions can be observed. Some of the complex coordinated body movements cannot take place in neurapraxia. This type of injury can be healed completely. It takes about 6-8 weeks for completely recovering from neurapraxia. Blood supply disruption and nerve compression are some of the effects of such type of nerve damage.
- Axonotmesis: In this type of nerve injury, the neuronal axon and myelin sheath is disrupted. However, the other components like schwann cells, epineurium, perineurium and endoneurium remain intact. The injury caused to nerves is quite serious in nature if compared to that in neurapraxia. The axonotmesis nerve injury paralyzes sensory, motor or autonomic nerves.
- Neurotmesis: This kind of nerve injury is characterized by stretches, contusions, lacerations, etc. It is the most severe nerve injury of all. In this type of injury, the connective tissues along with axons lose their continuity. In neurotmesis, the nerve and its sheath get disrupted. To put it simply, the nerve is snapped apart into two parts. It is possible to attain only a partial recovery from this kind of nerve injury.
- A severe burning pain, also known as neuropathic pain, is sometimes experienced after a nerve surgery.
- Changes in walking patterns or difficulty in walking properly is also amongst the symptoms of nerve damage.
- If a nerve gets damaged during knee surgery, one might experience weakness in the feet or ankles.
- Foot drop is another symptom of nerve damage exhibited after a knee surgery.
- Dragging toe is one of the conditions that results from nerve damage after knee surgery.
- One who has undergone such kind of surgery might experience a feeling of numbness or tingling in the area specific to the nerve getting damaged. Such kind of sensation is referred to as 'pin and needles'. Loss of innervation also is a term used in reference with this condition. It is not necessary that symptoms of nerve damage show up in body parts exactly where the damage has occurred. The nerves, as we know, form a complex network in the body. Therefore, the pain could be experienced at distant places, away from the actual site.