Peripheral Nerve Surgery

Peripheral Nerve Surgery

The surgical treatment of many nerve injuries and disorders relies heavily upon an accurate diagnosis and appropriate management planning. Surgical treatment is often a last resort.

Entrapment syndromes such as carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar neuropathy occur when peripheral nerves become compressed or entrapped by scar tissue or thickened ligaments. The goal of treatment is to alleviate pain and restore function. The most common treatment is carpal tunnel release. In patients who suffer from this repetitive motion disorder, the median nerve becomes compressed in the wrist area. Care begins with minimally invasive treatments such as oral medication, wrist bracing and cortisone injections, all of which are typically successful. If needed, Dr. William Mitchell is experienced in the quick and efficient surgical treatment of carpal tunnel disease. This is an outpatient procedure is highly successful at providing effective relief.

To learn more about Peripheral Nerve Surgery with Dr. William Mitchell, please fill out our contact form and we will be in touch with you. If you need to talk with someone right away, call 856-372-9422 to schedule an appointment.

Carpal tunnel release is a surgery used to treat and potentially heal the painful condition known as carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal Tunnel can be caused by repetitive motion, congenital predisposition, or by injury. The median nerve and tendons that allow your fingers to move pass through a narrow passageway in the wrist called the carpal tunnel. The carpal tunnel is formed by the wrist bones on the bottom and the transverse carpal ligament across the top (or inside) of the wrist. When this part of the body is injured or tight, swelling of the tissues within the tunnel can press on the median nerve. This causes numbness and tingling of the hand, pain, and loss of function if not treated. Symptoms usually start slowly and may get worse over time. They tend to be worse on the thumb side of the hand.

During a carpal tunnel release, a surgeon cuts through the ligament that is pressing down on the carpal tunnel. This makes more room for the median nerve and tendons passing through the tunnel, and usually improves pain and function.

Ulnar nerve entrapment is also called cubital tunnel syndrome and ulnar tunnel syndrome. It’s the second most common nerve entrapment after carpal tunnel syndrome. It can cause numbness, tingling and/or pain in the arm and certain fingers. The condition is caused by compression or irritation of the ulnar nerve.

The ulnar nerve travels from the shoulder, down the arm and into the hand. It controls the movement and sensations for parts of the hand (specifically, the fourth and fifth fingers, the palm, and the inside portion of the forearm.)

The ulnar nerve can be compressed as it passes through the elbow or wrist. However, the elbow is the most vulnerable point because the ulnar nerve is near the surface and travels through a small space (called the cubital tunnel) within the elbow. The ulnar nerve is surrounded by a ligament that (under certain conditions) can thicken and compress the nerve. It is the excessive pressure on the nerve causes symptoms

This is similar to the carpal tunnel release procedure. To enlarge the space within the cubital tunnel, a ligament that makes up part of it is cut, and tissue around the nerve may be removed. Following the procedure, the ligament will begin to heal in a way that provides more room in the cubital tunnel. This procedure does not work well if a patient’s ulnar nerve moves back and forth as the elbow is bent and straightened.
Here the ulnar nerve is permanently moved to new location in the elbow. This procedure prevents the nerve from moving back and forth and stretching as the elbow is bent and straightened.