What Nerve Issues Can a Neurosurgeon Resolve?

spine surgeon can be the first to tell you that not all nerve issues are going to be easily resolved. Florida Surgery Consultants in Tampa knows that it is important to be informed about the different types of nerve issues so that you know what to expect from your neurosurgeon as far as recovery. To learn more, contact us at Florida Surgery Consultants.

Nerve Issues that Require Surgery

In order to determine if your nerve issues need surgery, you must first be able to place it in relation to the categorization degree. That is, certain injuries are much more damaging and harmful than other injuries.

  • First-Degree: This is known as neurapraxia and there is usually no lasting muscle or sensory problems, though it may take a couple of days to three months to recover.
  • Second-Degree: Another name for this is axonotmesis. This is where it is also capable of recovering on its own, but within a longer period of time than a first-degree injury.
  • Third-Degree: In this instance, only partial recovery will occur, and how much of the nerve does that will in fact recover depends on the amount of scarring in the nerve and if the sensory and motor fibers match up correctly in healing.
  • Fourth-Degree: This degree means that there was dense scar tissue within the nerve and it was blocking any kind of recovery. When the nerve suffers this much damage, surgery is required.
  • Fifth-Degree: When a fifth-degree injury happens, there is a complete separation of the nerve, such as when a nerve is cut. In this case, surgery by a neurosurgeon is required.
  • Sixth-Degree: This is when there is a combination of other types of nerve injury and treatment is dependent on which types of nerve injury are present.

If you have an injury that requires surgery, there are different options for the type of surgery that you may have to get. These include a nerve repair, a nerve graft, a nerve transfer, or a neurolysis. Nerve repair simply sews the two ends of a nerve together for nerve regeneration. When there is extensive damage and this is not possible, a nerve graft is used. In these cases, a donor nerve is used to bridge the gap between two nerve ends, and the nerve then regenerates across the bridge. When sensory or muscle recovery is not anticipated for quite some time, nerve transfers are used where functioning nerves that are close to the target area are transferred to the injured nerve. In extreme cases, neurolysis allows the removal of scar from the nerve. This procedure can be used if the scar tissue is blocking the nerve from regenerating.

Should You Select a Spine Surgeon?

If you have nerve pain or damage, a neurosurgeon can give you the resources you need to begin feeling healed. Florida Surgery Consultants in Tampa is a spine surgeon with experience treating all kinds of nerve pain so that you can get the treatment you need. Contact us to learn more.

Contact Us

Florida Surgery Consultants is located in Tampa, and we have ample experience in treating nerve damage. Contact us to get an appointment with us today.

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