Nerve injury is injury to nervous tissue. There is no single classification system that can describe all the many variations of nerve injury. Most systems attempt to correlate the degree of injury with symptoms, pathology and prognosis.
When nerve fibers are broken, the end of the fiber farthest from the brain dies, while the insulation stays intact, leaving empty tubes which used to carry the nerve fibers. The end that is closest to the brain does not die, and after some time may begin to heal. If the insulation was not cut, the nerve fibers may grow down the empty tubes until reaching a muscle or sensory receptor. If both the nerve and insulation have been cut and the nerve is not fixed, the growing nerve fibers may grow into a ball at the end of the cut, forming a nerve scar called a ‘neuroma’. A neuroma can be painful and cause an electrical feeling when touched.
Diagnosis will be made on the basis of
- Medical History
- Physical & Neurological Examination
- Diagnostic tests
- Electromyography (EMG)
- Nerve conduction study
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Nerve injuries may create lasting problems for the patient, care by a physician and proper therapy help return to more normal use.
Your treatment team will include doctors trained in nervous system conditions (neurologists) and in repairing nervous system structures (neurosurgeons or orthopedic surgeons) and physiotherapists.
Consult at Aadil Hospital for medical, surgical and physiotherapy.
