StemCell Therapy

Dr. Michael Rose is an expert in nerve decompression surgery for people suffering from all forms of neuropathy, with an emphasis on undertreated lower extremity neuropathy. Experienced in various forms of microsurgery, he is one of a select number of plastic surgeons trained in the nerve decompression technique.

Dr. Rose is Chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. He is also a member of the Center For Treatment of Paralysis and Reconstructive Nerve Surgery at Jersey Shore Medical Center, which provides some of the most advanced surgical treatment of paralysis and nerve injuries in the world today.

Solutions for Neuropathy

Ive been performing this surgery since 2004 with various types of neuropathy. The three most common causes of neuropathy I treat are probably diabetic; followed by chemotherapy-induced; and finally idiopathic (unknown cause). Ive also treated a variety of other types, such as alcohol-related neuropathy and neuropathy caused from obscure medications. All types of neuropathy seem to respond similarly to this surgery.

The most well-known and accepted neuropathy surgery is for carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome or other conditions of the upper extremity. Surgeries performed on the lower extremities are not widely known since generally this area has been ignored by the medical community. People tend to assume that when their feet hurt, its because theyre getting older and their feet are supposed to hurt. They dont realize there is something they can do about it. For this reason, I developed a subspecialty in this surgical area which applies the knowledge we have of decompression surgery for the upper extremity to the lower extremity.

Approximately half of patients who are deemed eligible candidates for this surgery will experience measurable improvement in their quality of life, with a reduction in symptoms of pain and tingling. However, it is very difficult to predict who will be eligible and potentially benefit from the procedure until a person comes in and has a thorough evaluation.

I routinely see people who have had neuropathy of a lower extremity for 10 to 15 years. It is ideal if they come in between one and three years after the onset of their issues. I think this could likely raise the overall success rate of this surgery to 75 percent. The shorter the time the nerve is compressed, the less damage the nerve suffers. With a longer wait for treatment, it can be difficult, if not impossible, for the nerve to recover. I equate it to a house fire. If you can put out a small fire, you can easily rebuild the house. If the fire keeps burning, it destroys the house, including the foundation. At some point the house is gone and you cant recover from it. Obviously, we prefer to see people before this is the case.

I open the various areas on the leg (or arm) where the nerve is most susceptible to being entrapped or pinched. We know where these places are, as they are the same in almost everyone. I release the nerve from the surrounding structure so that it is able to recover. This procedure is a relatively minor outpatient (one day) surgery. It takes about 45 minutes to do one leg, and patient recovery takes about a week. Results are not generally immediate, but I have had some patients who did get immediate relief. It may take some months to a year or even more for the nerve fibers to grow back, and a person begins to get normal feeling and the pain is reduced.

Neuropathy affects the quality of life, but it also has other consequences. People with neuropathy have many more fractures, such as broken hips. Many times people cant feel their feet, so balance is impacted and thus they are much more likely to fall and break a bone. Also, they dont notice cuts, which can become infected. They can lose toes. Correcting the neuropathy results in reduced orthopedic fractures, infections and amputations.

The rules for being a good candidate for any surgery apply. People should be in reasonably good general health with adequate blood flow down to the feet. They should also be of reasonable weight, since obesity interferes with wound healing. Candidates should generally be under age 65, since after that age the nerves usually do not regenerate (grow back). They should also have had neuropathy for fewer than 10 years. In my evaluation, I do a complete medical history and order tests, such as a nerve conduction study. If a person fits all the criteria, I offer to do the surgery.

Link:

NJ Neuropathy Treatment & Surgery - Discover Your Options!

This entry was posted on October 18, 2018 at 2:42 pm and is filed under Neuropathy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |