Traumatic Nerve Injury

traumatic nerve injury

Traumatic Nerve Injury

A Traumatic Nerve Injury Can Cause Significant Pain

If you have fallen, had surgery, had a physically traumatic accident or other such injury and have experienced nerve pain, numbness, or muscle functional loss, then it may be a result of pinched nerves, or nerve injury. Nerves can be quite fragile and damage can easily occur as a result of pressure being placed on them, muscular stretching, or from cuts or lacerations caused by a variety of reasons. If you experience a traumatic nerve injury then it could stop the necessary neural signals that travel to and from the brain through the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system, causing muscles not to work properly, and may cause you to lose sensation in or around the injured area.

How Nerves Do Their Job

Nerves could be compared to the electrical wiring of our body and carry the electro-chemical impulses from our brains around our body and return sensory information back to the brain so that we can perceive the world around us. Our nerves consist of bundles of nerve cells that are branched on each of its sides. The branches of the nerve cell on one side are called axons and the branches on the other side are called dendrites. Electrical impulses pass down the body of each nerve cell and are converted to chemicals in the axons that cross the barrier between each nerve cell and then converted back from chemical transmitters into electrical impulses in the next cell’s dendrites and the process is repeated from cell to cell as the messages are passed along and sent down a nerve fiber. Furthermore, these nerve cells are bundled together into nerve fibers that are surrounded by an insulating covering called the myelin sheath. This myelin sheath works just like the rubber or plastic that insulates many wires and guards the nerve “wires” from experiencing interference from the surrounding fluids and tissues.

Causes of Traumatic Nerve Injury

  • Following Surgery or other sharp cuts
  • Falls and accidents
  • Joint twists or Dislocations
  • Lifting heavy weights
  • Overwork and Repetitive Stress
  • Metabolic Commodities

A traumatic nerve injury can come from a whole host of causes of which some are fairly ordinary and routine, but can still cause serious nerve complications.

Many people simply perform the same repetitive action so much that it causes muscular, tendon, and vertebra damage that could press against nerves that are used to carry signals to certain parts of the body. One common example of this is carpal tunnel disorder when because of repetitive motion the nerves that carry impulses to the fingers in the hand are constricted and damaged due to the pressure that is placed on them from actions such as writing, typing, sewing, and other work related functions.

Nerves may also be damaged from cuts sustained from injuries from knives and other sharp objects and blades. Nerve damage and cuts may also be sustained during surgeries and other medical procedures that involve cutting or puncturing the skin and soft tissues. If nerves are cut or abraded, then they may or may not heal in a way that allows for movement or sensation, and can cause pain.

Automobile accidents, falls, and other types of blunt force injuries can break bones and tear muscles or other soft tissues that house nerves causing extensive nerve injuries and possible loss of sensation and movement. Some of the most serious nerve injuries are those that involve the cervical spine, which holds the spinal cord and from which many smaller nerves project carrying nerve impulses to various organs and regions of the body. If any of these nerves are pressured, contused, or severed, then either temporary or permanent paralysis can result.

I you lost motor or sensory function following trauma, fall, knee dislocation, ankle twisting or surgery you may seek medical help to address your nerve injury. Likewise, if pain, numbness or burning persist after surgery or trauma, associated nerve damage might require specialized evaluation by nerve surgeon.

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