Nerve conduction studies, including an Electromyogram (EMG) may be performed on individuals suffering with nerve pain symptoms. These studies use electrical impulses to determine the level of damage. A final diagnosis will be made by your physician through the help of one or all of these tests.
A nerve conduction velocity (NCV) test — also called a nerve conduction study (NCS) — measures how fast an electrical impulse moves through your nerve. NCV can identify nerve damage. During the test, your nerve is stimulated, usually with electrode patches attached to your skin.
Identifying the cause of a neuropathy
The GP can usually identify the underlying cause of a peripheral neuropathy. If diabetes is suspected, they can usually make a confident diagnosis based on your symptoms, a physical examination, and checking the levels of sugar in your blood and urine.
Signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy might include: Gradual onset of numbness, prickling or tingling in your feet or hands, which can spread upward into your legs and arms. Sharp, jabbing, throbbing or burning pain.
Neurologists are specialists who treat diseases of the brain and spinal cord, peripheral nerves and muscles.
Nerve conditions can be hard to diagnose, and many patients live for years without an explanation or effective treatment for their muscle weakness or pain. Our specialists understand that the cause of a nerve condition is not always obvious and often requires a bit of detective work to uncover.
Your surgeon can remove the damaged section and reconnect healthy nerve ends (nerve repair) or implant a piece of nerve from another part of your body (nerve graft). These procedures can help your nerves regrow.
Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy
numbness and tingling in the feet or hands. burning, stabbing or shooting pain in affected areas. loss of balance and co-ordination. muscle weakness, especially in the feet.
Nerve cells can regenerate and grow back at a rate of about an inch a month, but recovery is typically incomplete and slow. This is a complete nerve injury, where the nerve sheath and underlying neurons are severed. If there is an open cut, a neurosurgeon can see the cut nerve ends at surgery and repair this.
A nerve injury can affect the brain's ability to communicate with muscles and organs. Damage to the peripheral nerves is called peripheral neuropathy. It's important to get medical care for a peripheral nerve injury as soon as possible. Early diagnosis and treatment may prevent complications and permanent damage.
Regeneration time depends on how seriously your nerve was injured and the type of injury that you sustained. If your nerve is bruised or traumatized but is not cut, it should recover over 6-12 weeks. A nerve that is cut will grow at 1mm per day, after about a 4 week period of 'rest' following your injury.
The impulse may feel like an electric shock. You may feel some discomfort depending on how strong the impulse is. You should feel no pain once the test is finished. Often, the nerve conduction test is followed by EMG.
If the underlying cause of peripheral neuropathy isn't treated, you may be at risk of developing potentially serious complications, such as a foot ulcer that becomes infected. This can lead to gangrene (tissue death) if untreated, and in severe cases may mean the affected foot has to be amputated.
Some nerve-related problems do not interfere with daily life. Others get worse quickly and may lead to long-term, severe symptoms and problems. When a medical condition can be found and treated, your outlook may be excellent. But sometimes, nerve damage can be permanent, even if the cause is treated.
In many instances, nerve damage cannot be cured entirely. But there are various treatments that can reduce your symptoms. Because nerve damage is often progressive, it is important to consult with a doctor when you first notice symptoms. That way you can reduce the likelihood of permanent damage.
Whether or not neuropathy can be reversed depends on the cause of the nerve damage. In some cases, the pain may go away entirely. In others, nerve damage may be permanent. For example, when neuropathy is caused by an infection, symptoms might go away completely when the infection is treated.
The pain, tingling, numbness and other discomforts of peripheral nerve disorders can often be treated successfully with physical therapy and other nonsurgical methods. But in some cases, surgery offers the best chance of lasting relief.
For this reason, Dr. Lipinski advises people who experience nerve trauma or injury to seek treatment as soon as possible for the best outcomes. “If a person is evaluated two years after an injury, we can't fix the nerve directly because the muscles will no longer be functional.
1.1.
Seddon2 classified nerve injuries into three broad categories; neurapraxia, axonotmesis, and neurotmesis.
Chronic stress can lead to neuropathy by damaging the nervous system. When the nervous system is damaged, it can cause pain, numbness, tingling, and other symptoms. The end result is pain, discomfort, or even worse.
Various blood tests – For testing various kinds of side effects such as the presence of toxic elements in blood, abnormality in immune response, and vitamin deficiencies, blood tests are conducted. These blood tests are very beneficial in finding the root causes of neuropathy.
Trauma. Trauma, such as a car accident or a fall, can damage the nerves by crushing them. This can cause a loss of sensation or weakness in the affected area. In some cases, nerves can also be crushed, or compressed, by other factors such as surgery, herniated discs, carpal tunnel syndrome, or bone spurs.
Does an MRI scan show nerve damage? A neurological examination can diagnose nerve damage, but an MRI scan can pinpoint it. It's crucial to get tested if symptoms worsen to avoid any permanent nerve damage.
Types of nerve damage
The most severe type of nerve injury is an avulsion (A), where the nerve roots are torn away from the spinal cord. Less severe injuries involve a stretching (B) of the nerve fibers or a rupture (C), where the nerve is torn into two pieces.
As a specialist in peripheral nerve surgery, Dr. Seruya wants his patients to know that after a period of 12-18 months nerve damage can become permanent.