What is peripheral nerve injury or trauma?

Peripheral nerve injury or trauma refers to damage, compression, disease, or inflammation of the nerves extending from the spinal cord. Your body has an intricate webbing of nerves that connect to the spinal cord and various factors such as age, trauma or injuries, disease, and degenerative conditions may damage or compress nerves, which may lead to a significant amount of pain. And sometimes, there is no known cause of nerve damage, although it is most often seen in individuals that are older or those that have sustained injuries or undergone surgical procedures in the past.

What causes peripheral nerve injuries?

You could damage nerves from a fall, sports accident, laceration (cut), severe bruise, gunshot or other type of wound, or from trauma like repetitive stress on certain areas of the body.

There are four types of peripheral nerve injuries including:

• Avulsion in which the nerve root is severed from the spinal cord.
• Rupture in which a nerve is torn.
• Neuropraxia is when the nerve is stretched or compressed.
• Neuroma means that scar tissue is forming around the nerve, causing nerve compression or damage.

Symptoms of Peripheral Nerve Damage

Nerve damage often results in noticeable symptoms or pain including:

• Numbness or weakness in the limbs (arms, hands, legs, or feet)
• Burning, tinging or shocking feeling in the arms or legs
• Muscle weakness in the arms or legs
• Referred pain elsewhere in the body

How is pain from peripheral nerve damage treated?

Conservative treatment is always the first line of defense to combat pain associated with peripheral nerve damage. Physical therapy, rest, and even certain prescription medications may also help relieve pain and minimize symptoms. However, minimally invasive treatments like electrical stimulation may help severe cases of peripheral nerve damage.

At Midsouth Spine & Pain Associates (MSSP) we offer spinal cord stimulator as a minimally invasive procedure for peripheral nerve damage pain. This is an outpatient procedure, so you can go home afterward. It involves making a small incision in the spine at the targeted area, and a tiny electrical device like a TENS unit is placed in the spine. The patient can operate the device using a Bluetooth controller that is kept outside the body. The low level electrical current helps stimulate the body’s immune response system, can increase blood flow, and reduce pain by disrupting the body from sending pain signals to the brain. The procedure may take a couple of hours, but you are released to go home afterward. Tenderness or discomfort at the incision site are common side effects of this procedure, but typically fade within a couple of days.

Treating Peripheral Nerve Damage Pain in Southwest Tennessee and North Mississippi, including Tupelo, MS and Jackson, TN

Nerve damage and pain associated with this condition can interfere with your life. It can make simple tasks like driving, walking, or washing dishes difficult as the pain radiates to your limbs. If you would like to learn more about spinal cord stimulators and how this device could help reduce your pain, call MSSP at (662) 284-8565.