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Ulnar nerve damage after elbow surgery. Advice wanted

Posted , 3 users are following.

michael44378
michael44378

Hi guys

Basically I had an elbow arthtriscopy and then a clean out of the joint/decompression due to reduced ROM and arthritis pain

Before the operation I had full use of my hand and no symptoms of nerve damage. When I woke up after the operation I had all the symptoms of ulnar nerve damage: clawing of the fourth and fifth finger. Numbness of Palm and said fingers, very weak grip etc.

Now the surgeon wouldn't admit anything was wrong so it took over two weeks for him to take a look at me after the operation, upon inspecting me he admitted I had a ulnar nerve problem

I was sent for an EMG yesterday and the doctor confirmed my fears that it wasn't just compressed it was in fact severely damaged. Now the doctor said that he's going to have to go back in and take a look to see what the problem is, it could still be decompressed as well as damaged apparently.

Question I would like to ask you guys is will I get somewhere back near 100%?

My nerve isn't severed as if I flick my funny bone I get a shooting pain sensation right down in to my little finger but the damage is bad. During the EMG I could feel anything when he applied the electrodes directly to my pinky finger.

It's been 3 weeks since the operation and no improvement, if there is compression the surgeon will clear it and then I just have to give it time to heal and hope for the best. How long would it take roughly to heal?

Is the surgeon liable in this instance if he has indeed damaged the nerve?

Would you let this same surgeon go back in again to try and sort this mess out or get another surgeon to do it?

Thanks in advance guys

Sorry for the long intro post but I'm worried about this being permanent as I powerlift at a good/high level and would hate to have to quit after a routine operation gone wrong

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • michael44378
    michael44378

    Posted

    Should probably mention the surgeon thinks it may be compressed now as my rom before the op was so restricted. Now it can move he thinks something may have pinched the nerve
  • lisa37039
    lisa37039 michael44378

    Posted

    Do NOT let the same surgeon do it. You need to ask for a referral to a peripheral neurosurgeon. Lots of orthos try and do decompression and such with little

    Peripheral nerve knowledge and nerve damage can end up to be excruciatingly painful if they mess up. Most likely your nerve is caught up in scar and if he doesn't know what he's doing; he will go in and only make more scar tissue and you will end up in some never ending battle with it. See a peripheral neurosurgeon ASAP! The longer you wait, the more nerve might be damaged. The other option is to see a chiropractor that knows gastron and other scar tissue release techniques. Most neurosurgeons don't normally go back in for 6 months after a surgery. I would consult with a chiro who is knowledgable about scar tissue release and possibly a neurosurgeon. Also if you lift and have problem at your elbow, your shoulder is more likely to blame than you elbow. Your arm can only do what it is allowed to based on the position of your shoulder. You should have seen a corrective exercise specialist instead of surgery, but hindsight is always 20/20. Also, nerves can take years to heal when damaged, so try and stay calm.

    • michael44378
      michael44378 lisa37039

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply Lisa

      It was definitely the elbow that was the issue, I'd previously fractured it in the past and suffered with arthritis in it before that. After the fracture the arthritis sped up and my elbow joint was in a bad way

      Apart from that I agree with you 100%. I've been thinking about going to a neurosurgeon and getting them to go in and take care of the nerve issue. Hopefully it is just bound up, which is pretty much what my ortho surgeon said. He's actually very well thought of as far as being an ortho surgeon

      But you've reinforced my idea of going to a neurosurgeon.

      What do you think then, once the nerve is free'd up it should heal near 100%? What type of time frame are you looking at with this sort of thing, 6 months or a year?

    • lisa37039
      lisa37039 michael44378

      Posted

      Normally if it is just compression and not damaged severely, there is an immediate improvement after the surgery, sometimes with total movement returning immediately and then 6 month slow improvement, but if there is damage, it can take up to 3 years sometimes for it to heal, if it does. Look on YouTube at some of the decompression testimonials by Eric Williams. There are tons you can look at to get an idea what it will be like, but I would not trust an ortho to do decompression on a nerve. It's just not something they do everyday and a Peripheral neurosurgeon does. The movement of your arm is too important to take any risks, especially when dealing with nerves.

    • michael44378
      michael44378 lisa37039

      Posted

      Thanks for the advice

      Hopefully it is just compressed. I'll deffo go with a neurosurgeon

  • lisa37039
    lisa37039 michael44378

    Posted

    And don't listen if they tell u to take vitamins for it, especially b6.

  • lisa37039
    lisa37039 michael44378

    Posted

    Look up Eric Williams at institute for peripheral nerve surgery. There are lots of videos on his site of ulnar decompressions, but it isn't something I would jump into without researching the doctor and such. Nerves are not something to leave up to an ortho to try and fix. It's not their specialty and more harm could happen than good.

  • saida_1027
    saida_1027 michael44378

    Posted

    Hello Michael i also went through the same surgery but instead of releasing the nerve he said that he accidentally cut my ulnar nerve...and had to stitch it back together never to finish what he had went in to do...i woke up from surgery with no sensation in my last 2 fingers....its been almost 2 weeks and no improvement...something that should have taken 3 weeks to heal now he says a year....can you please give some insight on how your doing...cause he also said he needs tp go back in and im so scared...
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