Nerve surgery is performed as an outpatient procedure taking about an hour. Appropriate anesthesia is administered by an Anesthesiologist. Using microsurgical techniques, Dr. Paul Klein finds the damaged area of the nerve, and dependent upon the clinical findings can elect to perform a Neurolysis (release a compressed nerve) a Neurectomy (excision of nerve growth), a Nerve Transfer (add a healthy nerve to a damaged nerve or a Nerve Graft (replace damaged nerve with another nerve) cuts it out and buries or implants the healthy end into a muscle. A surgical dressing is applied at the end of surgery. Some patients notice an immediate difference in their pain in the recovery area and for others it may take months. Postoperative care is followed closely by Dr. Paul Klein. As in all nerve surgery, risks do exist. Risks are similar to neuroma excision with the added caveat that some patients continue to have pain and their body never responds to the removing of the nerve. These patients have “centralized pain” which means their pain doesn’t respond to the procedures on the nerve itself and instead these patients require the expertise of pain management specialist.
