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Nerve injuries
Intervention pain management for relief of back pain
Neck injuries are a particular concern in contact sports such as football, and they require special attention because of the devastating consequences if they are severe.
Cervical nerve root and spinal cord injuries are among the most common cervical spine neurological (nerve) injuries.
Nerves are fragile and can be damaged by pressure, stretching, or cutting. Injury to a nerve can stop signals to and from the brain, causing muscles not to work properly, and a loss of feeling in the injured area
Signs and symptoms of a Nerve injuries
The signs and symptoms of Nerve injuries can be different depending on the nerve injured, the type of injury, and the severity of the injury. Some may include:
- Numbness: Some nerves only transmit sensation, so a nerve injury to these nerves would cause some amount of numbness.
- Weakness: In addition to sensory nerves, some nerves give you the ability to move, and other nerves do both of these things. Injury to nerves that carry motor signals causes some amount of weakness.
- Pain: This is frequently a symptom after nerve injury. The pain present after Nerve injuries can be anywhere along the course of the nerve, but it is typically at the injury site.
- Raising the arm, flexing the elbow, and rotating the arm outwards may be restricted as a result of motor weakness.
Symptoms of nerve injury may be intermittent, if the injury repeats itself; or they may be constant, if the injury is severe enough.
Diagnosing Nerve injuries
common neck injury in football involves compression or stretching of a nerve root or the brachial plexus; referred to as “burners” or “stingers”, they make up approximately ten percent of all cervical spine neurologic injuries, and two thirds of all college football players experience at least one of these injuries.
These injuries occur from either a pinching (compression) of the nerve on the same side the neck is flexed/extended or a stretching of the nerve on the opposite side of where the neck is flexed/extended.
First Aid Treatment
There may be some benefit from giving high dose steroids to the patient at the time of spinal cord injury.However, nerve injuries should be treated with full cervical spine precautions until any fractures, dislocations, or cervical spine instability can be ruled out.
In the setting of football, the helmet and shoulder pads are left in place until cervical spine instability has been ruled out. The facemask may be removed if access is needed to maintain the airway.
If the airway appears to be compromised, cardiopulmonary resuscitative efforts should be carried out. The patient should then be “log rolled” onto a backboard and transported to the hospital.
You are in Great Hands
Comprehensive treatment of Nerve root Injuries
These injuries are more likely to occur in patients with poorly developed neck musculature. In older athletes, nerve root compression is more likely to occur in conjunction with a herniated cervical disc.
Conservative treatment consists of rest, possibly a neck brace, and over-the-counter pain relievers or anti-inflammatory medications.
With persistent or recurrent symptoms, it is very important to have a thorough evaluation by an orthopaedic or neurology specialist.
The nerve fibers grow slowly and, in ideal conditions, may grow about one inch every month after a nerve is sewn back together in surgery.
It can take many months for the nerve to finish growing after an injury depending on many factors including the length that the nerve that needs to grow.
It can also take this long for muscles to work well again. There might be numbness, pain or a “pins and needles” feeling during the healing period. Physical therapy is sometimes needed after a nerve injury.
Results during recovery after nerve injury can depend on your age and health, the type of nerve injury, and the injured body part.
