If you suffer from burning, tingling, or electrical nerve pain, or if a nerve is not functioning correctly, there are several possible explanations. This isn’t a comprehensive list, but the root cause might be any of the following:
- Nerves accidentally severed during surgery or physical trauma
- Nerves trapped in scar tissue following surgery
- Neuromas (balls of irritated nerve endings)
Another potential source of nerve pain—one that is rather common—is nerve compression. We are able to help many patients who suffer from this problem find relief by using nerve decompression procedures. How is nerve decompression surgery able to relieve pain for these people?
The starting point for answering that is with one of the divisions of the nervous system – which contains both the central nervous system (your brain and spinal cord) and your peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system is an extensive network of peripheral nerves that travel throughout the entire body. There are three types of these nerves – autonomic, motor, and sensory.
Autonomic nerves are the ones your body uses for actions you don’t even think about. For example, these are the nerves responsible for regulating your heart and respiratory rates. Motor nerves send impulses to muscles, and enable us to perform physical acts. The sensory nerves—which play a major role in neuropathic pain—send messages to the central nervous system.
Within your body, there are many anatomical tunnels and fixed points nerves run through or around. Examples of this include the carpal tunnel found in your wrist and hand and the tarsal tunnels found in your ankle and feet. At these tunnels and points, your peripheral nerves are vulnerable to compression.
All it takes is some external pressure—which can be applied from many different sources—to compress a nerve and interfere with its ability to transmit signals in a normal fashion. This compression can come from an array of different sources, including cysts, tumors (benign and otherwise), abnormal anatomy, and excess weight gain. No matter the source, you may experience any of the typical symptoms of nerve pain (burning, tingling, shooting, stabbing, etc.).
When we perform nerve decompression, what we are doing is basically taking pressure off the affected nerve. Before recommending one of these procedures, we may use a nerve block to see if surgery will help. What this does is block the nerve from sending signals back to the central nervous system. If symptoms disappear, there is a very good chance surgery will help.
The actual procedure itself will depend on various factors, but the end result we are looking to achieve is to help you find relief from your nerve pain.
For more information on nerve decompression surgery, or to request a consultation with our Baltimore office, simply give us a call at (410) 709-3868 or take advantage of our online form. One of our staff members will be glad to take your information, answer any questions about our practice, and help set up your appointment.
