Radial Nerve Injury Treatment
Injury of Radial Nerve Treatment – Radial nerve injury is one of the most common types of injuries. It affects your arm or hand and causes weakness, numbness, tingling sensation, loss of feeling and even paralysis. You may experience pain throughout your body when it occurs.
There are various treatments available for radial nerve injury including physical therapy and rehabilitation programs. Physical therapy helps improve range of motion and strength in affected areas. Rehabilitation programs help restore normal function and balance.
The following are some of the symptoms associated with radial nerve injury:
Weakness in your fingers, especially your middle finger (the ring finger) or thumb (the little finger). Weakness can occur at any part of the body. If you have weakness in one area, it may affect other parts of your body too.
Numbness in your arms and legs.
Tingling sensations in your hands and feet. Tingling may occur anywhere along the nerves from the spine to the fingertips. It can cause you to lose control over your limbs if left untreated.
Paralysis of your arm or leg. Paralysis can happen anywhere along the nerves from the spinal cord to the fingertips, but it usually happens in one limb at a time rather than all at once.
Difficulty sensing where your body is in space (proprioception). You may have a hard time controlling the position of your arm or leg without seeing it.
Infection at the site of the injury. If an area of your skin has lost feeling, then that means it is more likely to get infected.
The most common cause of radial nerve injury is a broken bone near the area, such as a broken arm or wrist. Tearing of the nerves from the spinal cord (caudal) or the injury of the nerves close to the shoulder (cranial) can also lead to radial nerve injury. You may not realize that you are suffering from this condition until several hours after the injury.
If you notice any signs of a break in your bone, take it seriously and get medical help immediately.
There are several other causes of radial nerve injury such as:
Falls
Car crashes
Violent movement of the arm or shoulder
Prolonged pressure on the arm or shoulder
Extremes in weather such as extremely hot or cold temperatures. For example, a burn may lead to loss of feeling in the affected area. Too much sun exposure can damage the nerves.
If you notice any of the above symptoms, then see a doctor immediately. Do not take any chances. The faster you can get treatment, the better your chance of recovery.
If you have just undergone a surgery or medical procedure and are experiencing numbness or loss of feeling in the affected area, then it’s possible that you are suffering from radial nerve injury. If you find yourself unable to move your fingers properly or if there is a tingling sensation in the area, then let your doctor know immediately.
If you find yourself suddenly unable to move your arm or shoulder, call an ambulance immediately. You may have suffered a stroke and need immediate medical attention.
Symptoms of radial nerve paralysis are similar to other conditions, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. However, carpal tunnel syndrome usually affects both sides of the body. To confirm a diagnosis of radial nerve paralysis, a doctor will ask about your symptoms and perform a physical exam.
In addition, you may undergo blood tests and other diagnostic procedures.
The main treatment for radial nerve paralysis is surgery. In some cases, there may be no noticeable effects. In other cases, there will be weakness of the muscles in the affected arm or hand.
If you have lost the use of your hand due to radial nerve injury, then your doctor may perform nerve transfer surgery. The procedure involves transplanting a nerve from another part of your body to the affected area. The new nerve will take over the work of the damaged nerve so that you can regain some or all of your lost movement.
It may be possible to regain some movement in a paralyzed hand or arm, but the extent of the recovery depends on how long you have been affected and the extent of the damage. If you have recently suffered a radial nerve injury, then it’s possible that you will regain full use of the affected areas with physical therapy. It is also important to keep your mind active during this time as well since this has been known to speed up the recovery process.
This is a summary of the information on the condition just described. It is not intended to replace the detailed information you received from your doctor. For further information, speak to your doctor.
If you have any questions about this topic, you can contact us here.
Sources & references used in this article:
Clinical review of radial nerve injury by DB KETTELKAMP, H Alexander – Journal of Trauma and Acute …, 1967 – journals.lww.com
Outcomes of nerve reconstruction for radial nerve injuries based on the level of injury in 244 operative cases by CH Pan, DCC Chuang… – Journal of Hand …, 2010 – journals.sagepub.com
Radial nerve injuries associated with humeral fractures by MJ DeFranco, JN Lawton – The Journal of hand surgery, 2006 – Elsevier
Radial nerve palsy associated with high-energy humeral shaft fractures by D Ring, K Chin, JB Jupiter – The Journal of hand surgery, 2004 – Elsevier
Axillary block complicated by hematoma and radial nerve injury by B Ben-David, S Stahl – Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, 1999 – Elsevier
Current approach to radial nerve paralysis by JB Lowe, SK Sen… – Plastic and …, 2002 – pdfs.semanticscholar.org
Plate fixation of the humeral shaft for acute fractures, with and without radial nerve injuries. by EJ Dabezies, CJ Banta 2nd, CP Murphy… – … of orthopaedic trauma, 1992 – europepmc.org
