CelticsStrong
Celtics Basketball => Celtics Talk => Topic started by: Phantom255x on October 17, 2017, 11:50:32 PM
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https://twitter.com/Rachel__Nichols/status/920482191242510336?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
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Celtics Coach Brad Stevens says Gordon Hayward has a dislocated ankle & a fractured tibia. On his way back to Boston tonight.
That's... not good. :(
Now I'm not a doctor (though I'm currently an undergrad on the health sciences track haha), but a lot of people and sources think that if this is true, Hayward is OUT for the season.
Maybe in best case scenario, he could be back April, but even that could be a stretch.
Obviously we'll find out more in the coming day or two, and there seem to be many conflicting reports and what not, but coming from Coach Stevens.. I think this may hold some value, and unfortunately, don't be surprised if we hear the dreaded news in the coming days :'(
But for now... fingers crossed!
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Could have been way worse. He could have torn ligaments and come back as a worse version of himself. All it looks like is a broken bone. Its a big bone that takes time to heal, but he will be back as the same guy we know. 6 month recovery
I don't know much about dislocated ankles other than what I've Googled but doesnt seem to bad, 4 month recovery at most
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http://www.weei.com/blogs/ty-anderson/latest-gordon-haywards-injuries
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Could have been way worse. He could have torn ligaments and come back as a worse version of himself. All it looks like is a broken bone. Its a big bone that takes time to heal, but he will be back as the same guy we know. 6 month recovery
I don't know much about dislocated ankles other than what I've Googled but doesnt seem to bad, 4 month recovery at most
Many are starting to think there's a decent chance he could come back by March or early April (of course assuming no ligament or tendon is found to be damaged or anything, which thankfully doesn't seem to be the case).
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Did anyone think there was a chance he'd be back this season after seeing it live?
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Too early to come to any conclusions on how the ligaments and tendons are. Got to wait a few days at least.
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Here's an actual injury analysis from a real physician with cool diagrams and stuff:
Spoiler Alert: He could be back late this season.
https://www.bostonsportsjournal.com/2017/10/17/injury-analysis-celtics-gordon-hayward-back-late-season/
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So hard to watch and I pray he is able to come back to his old self when all is said and done.
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Here's an actual injury analysis from a real physician with cool diagrams and stuff:
Spoiler Alert: He could be back late this season.
https://www.bostonsportsjournal.com/2017/10/17/injury-analysis-celtics-gordon-hayward-back-late-season/
interesting
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Wilson says Hayward is having surgery tomorrow
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If he comes back this season, it will be gravy. Obviously the most important thing is his complete recovery and if that takes until next season, so be it.
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If he comes back this season, it will be gravy. Obviously the most important thing is his complete recovery and if that takes until next season, so be it.
Agree. Last thing we want to do is rush him back.
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After seeing that, I'd say it'd be a minor miracle if he saw the court at all this regular season/playoffs.
So sick to my stomach.
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Wilson says Hayward is having surgery tomorrow
Wilson who?
And if he's already having surgery tomorrow then I'm guessing that's a really good sign, because that would indicate a lack of swelling, no?
Maybe that's just my green goggles interpretation. ;D
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It depends on how bad the break is and if the tendons or ligaments are also damaged on when he will back. We probably won't hear any of that until after the surgery.
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Did anyone think there was a chance he'd be back this season after seeing it live?
Yes
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After seeing that, I'd say it'd be a minor miracle if he saw the court at all this regular season/playoffs.
So sick to my stomach.
Yup, just hoping he can come back next season. Hopefully the optimism they are leaking right now is warranted.
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Im predicting 6 months.. I had exactly the same injury. He will lose explosiveness though...
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The "optimism" leaking out IS warranted; Hayward's fracture was clean (confirmed by Mike Gorman, who likely has connections with the Celtics medical staff). The worst case scenarios you guys are worried about "out for the season" are for fractures that have ligament or blood vessel damage from what I have heard.
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The "optimism" leaking out IS warranted; Hayward's fracture was clean. The worst case scenarios you guys are worried about (put for the season" are for fractures that have ligament or blood vessel damage from what I have heard.
This, my friends.
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Wilson says Hayward is having surgery tomorrow
Wilson who?
And if he's already having surgery tomorrow then I'm guessing that's a really good sign, because that would indicate a lack of swelling, no?
Maybe that's just my green goggles interpretation. ;D
I think everyone is trying to be optimistic at this point. But after KG's 08-09 season I just want him to get right for next year.
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The "optimism" leaking out IS warranted; Hayward's fracture was clean (confirmed by Mike Gorman, who likely has connections with the Celtics medical staff). The worst case scenarios you guys are worried about "out for the season" are for fractures that have ligament or blood vessel damage from what I have heard.
I find it hard to believe that a severely dislocated joint has caused no damage to the surrounding ligaments/blood vessels. We'll wait and see I guess.
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Im predicting 6 months.. I had exactly the same injury. He will lose explosiveness though...
He never really had one-foot explosiveness anyway. Most of his dunks were 2-footed.
Gordon's a great player because he always makes the right plays/decisions is a very good shooter.
He'll be fine with a little less verticality. He has enough size and lateral speed to play defense against NBA wings.
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The "optimism" leaking out IS warranted; Hayward's fracture was clean (confirmed by Mike Gorman, who likely has connections with the Celtics medical staff). The worst case scenarios you guys are worried about "out for the season" are for fractures that have ligament or blood vessel damage from what I have heard.
I find it hard to believe that a severely dislocated joint has caused no damage to the surrounding ligaments/blood vessels. We'll wait and see I guess.
Its the best case scenario for sure, and probably unlikely if you look at how these sort of catastrophic injuries usually play out. But hopefully its true.
Even then rehab and installing plates/screws is still a long process with a lot of steps where you can have setbacks. I just hope he's back next year and he's right.
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The "optimism" leaking out IS warranted; Hayward's fracture was clean (confirmed by Mike Gorman, who likely has connections with the Celtics medical staff). The worst case scenarios you guys are worried about "out for the season" are for fractures that have ligament or blood vessel damage from what I have heard.
False. This definitely wasn't confirmed. I believe him that he heard it from team sources. But as of last night Gordon did not have an MRI. He may have it in Boston today, but sometimes they actually wait a few days for the swelling to go down before they do the MRI. If that's the case, we won't know definitively until next week.
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Did anyone think there was a chance he'd be back this season after seeing it live?
Not a chance. Felt his career was in doubt.
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Wilson says Hayward is having surgery tomorrow
Wilson who?
And if he's already having surgery tomorrow then I'm guessing that's a really good sign, because that would indicate a lack of swelling, no?
Maybe that's just my green goggles interpretation. ;D
Forget Wilson, what does House think?
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/house/images/e/e9/HouseandWilson.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20070812160841)
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Wilson says Hayward is having surgery tomorrow
Wilson who?
And if he's already having surgery tomorrow then I'm guessing that's a really good sign, because that would indicate a lack of swelling, no?
Maybe that's just my green goggles interpretation. ;D
Forget Wilson, what does House think?
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/house/images/e/e9/HouseandWilson.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20070812160841)
Not House, he has that really bad limp.
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Wilson says Hayward is having surgery tomorrow
Wilson who?
And if he's already having surgery tomorrow then I'm guessing that's a really good sign, because that would indicate a lack of swelling, no?
Maybe that's just my green goggles interpretation. ;D
from what i've read that would be correct, they would have to wait for the swelling to go down before operating on him
I still expect him to be shut down for the entire season even in the best case scenario of 4-6 months even if he's ready to go around late April (that puts us around playoff time) but he won't be 100%
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Yeah this is the best-case scenario given how horrible that looked. I couldn't look at the replays for quite awhile but in real-time I thought he had a Paul George-style open compound fracture and possibly tore the knee too.
It's not inconceivable he comes back this year but I wouldn't count on it at all.
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Looks like his MRI will be Wednesday, according to his agent. Is that today, or next Wednesday?
"As of Wednesday morning, reports indicated that Hayward was still being evaluated at the hospital and had not undergone surgery, although that is an inevitability. A treatment path would be plotted after Hayward undergoes an MRI and CT on Wednesday, Hayward’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski."
https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2017/10/18/what-we-know-about-gordon-haywards-injury
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Looks like his MRI will be Wednesday, according to his agent. Is that today, or next Wednesday?
"As of Wednesday morning, reports indicated that Hayward was still being evaluated at the hospital and had not undergone surgery, although that is an inevitability. A treatment path would be plotted after Hayward undergoes an MRI and CT on Wednesday, Hayward’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski."
https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2017/10/18/what-we-know-about-gordon-haywards-injury
I would assume it would be today given how serious of an injury, I think Hayward and the team wants to know sooner rather than later, i mean it's just results of the injury...I don't think that would take a week...
i think if we had to wait a week just to know the return timeline or the extend of the injury and surgery would kill all of us
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Looks like his MRI will be Wednesday, according to his agent. Is that today, or next Wednesday?
"As of Wednesday morning, reports indicated that Hayward was still being evaluated at the hospital and had not undergone surgery, although that is an inevitability. A treatment path would be plotted after Hayward undergoes an MRI and CT on Wednesday, Hayward’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski."
https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2017/10/18/what-we-know-about-gordon-haywards-injury
Definitely today.
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So the MRI will show if there was ligament damage? Or did somebody say there wasn’t ligament damage? I can’t see how there isn’t his foot was literally dangling to the side
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So the MRI will show if there was ligament damage? Or did somebody say there wasn’t ligament damage? I can’t see how there isn’t his foot was literally dangling to the side
His foot wasn't "dangling". It was dislocated. It was set back in place. BIG difference.
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So the MRI will show if there was ligament damage? Or did somebody say there wasn’t ligament damage? I can’t see how there isn’t his foot was literally dangling to the side
His foot wasn't "dangling". It was dislocated. It was set back in place. BIG difference.
Yea I’m no doctor just the way it looked, if no other damage beyond the bone breaks wonder what the recovery timeine is looking like
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So the MRI will show if there was ligament damage? Or did somebody say there wasn’t ligament damage? I can’t see how there isn’t his foot was literally dangling to the side
His foot wasn't "dangling". It was dislocated. It was set back in place. BIG difference.
Yea I’m no doctor just the way it looked, if no other damage beyond the bone breaks wonder what the recovery timeine is looking like
6 months, from what I gather.
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So the MRI will show if there was ligament damage? Or did somebody say there wasn’t ligament damage? I can’t see how there isn’t his foot was literally dangling to the side
His foot wasn't "dangling". It was dislocated. It was set back in place. BIG difference.
Yea I’m no doctor just the way it looked, if no other damage beyond the bone breaks wonder what the recovery timeine is looking like
6 months, from what I gather.
Unless there's an orthopaedic surgeon on this board, I don't think any of us know how long it will take for his recovery. Could be 6 months. He also might never recover.
In fact, unless the Dr. personally evaluated Hayward's ankle, I'm not sure that he/she would be able to accurately predict a recovery time.
So, I guess we can say that it should take Hayward in between 6 months and forever to recover.
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The "optimism" leaking out IS warranted; Hayward's fracture was clean (confirmed by Mike Gorman, who likely has connections with the Celtics medical staff). The worst case scenarios you guys are worried about "out for the season" are for fractures that have ligament or blood vessel damage from what I have heard.
I find it hard to believe that a severely dislocated joint has caused no damage to the surrounding ligaments/blood vessels. We'll wait and see I guess.
Me too. It's hard to image that nothing else got twisted or stretched beyond its intended capacity.
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if i incured that damage at my age . It would take,three years,to,just walk normal again. ...if ever. If he can be on the court getting back in shape around 6 months that would be amazing in my mind. Just keep n my fingers crossed.
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So the MRI will show if there was ligament damage? Or did somebody say there wasn’t ligament damage? I can’t see how there isn’t his foot was literally dangling to the side
His foot wasn't "dangling". It was dislocated. It was set back in place. BIG difference.
Yea I’m no doctor just the way it looked, if no other damage beyond the bone breaks wonder what the recovery timeine is looking like
6 months, from what I gather.
Unless there's an orthopaedic surgeon on this board, I don't think any of us know how long it will take for his recovery. Could be 6 months. He also might never recover.
In fact, unless the Dr. personally evaluated Hayward's ankle, I'm not sure that he/she would be able to accurately predict a recovery time.
So, I guess we can say that it should take Hayward in between 6 months and forever to recover.
Lets just accept that he will be back sometime by January 2019 full recovery and fit to play. Anything before that is great news and something to truly admire
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The "optimism" leaking out IS warranted; Hayward's fracture was clean (confirmed by Mike Gorman, who likely has connections with the Celtics medical staff). The worst case scenarios you guys are worried about "out for the season" are for fractures that have ligament or blood vessel damage from what I have heard.
I find it hard to believe that a severely dislocated joint has caused no damage to the surrounding ligaments/blood vessels. We'll wait and see I guess.
Me too. It's hard to image that nothing else got twisted or stretched beyond its intended capacity.
The fact that they flew him home to Boston first makes me feel a little less worried about blood vessels.
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So the MRI will show if there was ligament damage? Or did somebody say there wasn’t ligament damage? I can’t see how there isn’t his foot was literally dangling to the side
If you break your shin in half, the lower half will just dangle, but there are no ligaments anywhere near there.
If the bones where broken off, the foot being moved around would not pull on ligaments, so I don't see why you would assume that.
I don't know squat about this stuff, but people get should dislocations all the time without needing ligament surgery. It looks horrible, but the result isn't as catastrophic as it seems. Sure, sometimes injures are as catastrophic as they seem, like with Shawn Livingston who was out of the game for years. Hopefully there will be some news about the MRI later.
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https://twitter.com/Trags/status/920746701618638848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Fboston-celtics
so travelled from Cleveland to Boston, now possibly again lol? Fun to travel around with a broken leg eh? ..
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https://twitter.com/Trags/status/920746701618638848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Fboston-celtics
so travelled from Cleveland to Boston, now possibly again lol? Fun to travel around with a broken leg eh? ..
When you are that rich and your body is your earning potential spending the time/money to go to the best doctor of your choice makes all the sense in the world.
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https://twitter.com/Trags/status/920746701618638848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Fboston-celtics
so travelled from Cleveland to Boston, now possibly again lol? Fun to travel around with a broken leg eh? ..
When you are that rich and your body is your earning potential spending the time/money to go to the best doctor of your choice makes all the sense in the world.
well yea, i guess they all know best, we are all worried thats all haha :s hopefully whatever he does by the end of the week, hope it will be the beginning for a great return!
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https://twitter.com/Trags/status/920746701618638848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Fboston-celtics
so travelled from Cleveland to Boston, now possibly again lol? Fun to travel around with a broken leg eh? ..
When you are that rich and your body is your earning potential spending the time/money to go to the best doctor of your choice makes all the sense in the world.
well yea, i guess they all know best, we are all worried thats all haha :s hopefully whatever he does by the end of the week, hope it will be the beginning for a great return!
not to mention you want to do that surgery hopefully just once, and no more, like Gronk's forearm, I don't want him to do the surgery and have regular visits to the doctor because the surgery wasn't done well or whatever Gronk's case was
I was him to get the best surgeon possible to do his surgery
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Is the fracture displaced or non-displaced? That's what I'm looking for. If it's non-displaced, surgery is usually not necessary. If there is surgery, it's a sign the fracture is displaced enough so they don't want it to heal as is. They need to reset the bones.
Non-displaced is 6 weeks to walking. My wife had a non displaced ankle fracture, and it took that long. You just wear a boot. Many years ago, I had a severe ankle dislocation. No fracture. It looked pretty grotesque--like Hayward's looked. But the Doc just snapped it back in place, put a plaster cast on over the knee, and I walked around in a rubber boot for 6 weeks.
If there's surgery here, it will be longer than 6 weeks. Maybe 10 weeks. And then longer to get back onto the court. Double that. Make it 5-6 months.
You don't feel any pain right away with these things. The next day you feel pain, and they give you pain killers (codeine in my day, which makes you feel great!).
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https://twitter.com/Trags/status/920746701618638848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Fboston-celtics
so travelled from Cleveland to Boston, now possibly again lol? Fun to travel around with a broken leg eh? ..
When you are that rich and your body is your earning potential spending the time/money to go to the best doctor of your choice makes all the sense in the world.
well yea, i guess they all know best, we are all worried thats all haha :s hopefully whatever he does by the end of the week, hope it will be the beginning for a great return!
not to mention you want to do that surgery hopefully just once, and no more, like Gronk's forearm, I don't want him to do the surgery and have regular visits to the doctor because the surgery wasn't done well or whatever Gronk's case was
I was him to get the best surgeon possible to do his surgery
yess! Id be happy to see him fully recovered and fit to play by next January 2019 :) Hope he has a great recovery!
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So the MRI will show if there was ligament damage? Or did somebody say there wasn’t ligament damage? I can’t see how there isn’t his foot was literally dangling to the side
His foot wasn't "dangling". It was dislocated. It was set back in place. BIG difference.
I dislocated my shoulder playing rugby once. It hurt like buggery when it was out and looked really weird but once they popped it back in on the field it just went kind of numb. Thankfully I didn't suffer any significant tissue or ligament damage. Took a few months before it felt back to normal (and I'm certainly not an athlete of the caliber of Gordon Hayward).
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So the MRI will show if there was ligament damage? Or did somebody say there wasn’t ligament damage? I can’t see how there isn’t his foot was literally dangling to the side
His foot wasn't "dangling". It was dislocated. It was set back in place. BIG difference.
I dislocated my shoulder playing rugby once. It hurt like buggery when it was out and looked really weird but once they popped it back in on the field it just went kind of numb. Thankfully I didn't suffer any significant tissue or ligament damage. Took a few months before it felt back to normal (and I'm certainly not an athlete of the caliber of Gordon Hayward).
pretty sure that shoulder and ankle are very different haha :S
In this case, its gonna take time and lots of work to return to anything he was already now
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/gordon-hayward-ankle-injury-and-road-to-recovery-as-explained-by-a-medical-expert/
this article is meh :s
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So the MRI will show if there was ligament damage? Or did somebody say there wasn’t ligament damage? I can’t see how there isn’t his foot was literally dangling to the side
His foot wasn't "dangling". It was dislocated. It was set back in place. BIG difference.
I dislocated my shoulder playing rugby once. It hurt like buggery when it was out and looked really weird but once they popped it back in on the field it just went kind of numb. Thankfully I didn't suffer any significant tissue or ligament damage. Took a few months before it felt back to normal (and I'm certainly not an athlete of the caliber of Gordon Hayward).
From what I'm reading, they popped his ankle back in right away, so now they're dealing with the fracture and any ligament damage. It's the tibia that's fractured, from what Ainge said, and they're doing surgery, which means bone is displaced. Probably 6 months.
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So the MRI will show if there was ligament damage? Or did somebody say there wasn’t ligament damage? I can’t see how there isn’t his foot was literally dangling to the side
His foot wasn't "dangling". It was dislocated. It was set back in place. BIG difference.
I dislocated my shoulder playing rugby once. It hurt like buggery when it was out and looked really weird but once they popped it back in on the field it just went kind of numb. Thankfully I didn't suffer any significant tissue or ligament damage. Took a few months before it felt back to normal (and I'm certainly not an athlete of the caliber of Gordon Hayward).
From what I'm reading, they popped his ankle back in right away, so now they're dealing with the fracture and any ligament damage. It's the tibia that's fractured, from what Ainge said, and they're doing surgery, which means bone is displaced. Probably 6 months.
whatever it is, well see him strong and healthy next season :)
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https://twitter.com/celtics/status/920768452004065281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Fboston-celtics
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https://twitter.com/celtics/status/920768569092268034
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there has been no mention of nerve damage so far.... this is important
his ankle was already reduced/reset last night, he is wearing a brace/boot
what I imagine they are going to do next is, add screws/stabilisers to have the bones heal the right way
then its going to depend on GH body ability to self generate/recover , lots of prayers
Once the bone is healed......... its rock and roll from there
I don't expect him to be back this season even best case scenerio, bone is healed/repaired by end of Dec. Jan = just getting used to walking again , Feb - March = rehab, Apr + = strengthen/get back into game shape
If he can even get in one game this season (meaningless game near the end of the season) to just get the "feel" back. That would be tremendous.
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So pretty much 6 months is the recovery time people are thinking?
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Imagine we bring him back for the finals as a secret weapon
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If it is going to be around 6 months, I would rather see Hayward sit out the season and be patient in his recovery than rushing back in time for the playoffs.
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So pretty much 6 months is the recovery time people are thinking?
So maybe he's back on the court in April? So he might be shaking the rust off just as the regular season is ending or the playoffs are beginning.
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there has been no mention of nerve damage so far.... this is important
his ankle was already reduced/reset last night, he is wearing a brace/boot
what I imagine they are going to do next is, add screws/stabilisers to have the bones heal the right way
then its going to depend on GH body ability to self generate/recover , lots of prayers
Once the bone is healed......... its rock and roll from there
I don't expect him to be back this season even best case scenerio, bone is healed/repaired by end of Dec. Jan = just getting used to walking again , Feb - March = rehab, Apr + = strengthen/get back into game shape
If he can even get in one game this season (meaningless game near the end of the season) to just get the "feel" back. That would be tremendous.
yea but we havent gotten any MRI results either right? they were supposed to do some scans
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there has been no mention of nerve damage so far.... this is important
his ankle was already reduced/reset last night, he is wearing a brace/boot
what I imagine they are going to do next is, add screws/stabilisers to have the bones heal the right way
then its going to depend on GH body ability to self generate/recover , lots of prayers
Once the bone is healed......... its rock and roll from there
I don't expect him to be back this season even best case scenerio, bone is healed/repaired by end of Dec. Jan = just getting used to walking again , Feb - March = rehab, Apr + = strengthen/get back into game shape
If he can even get in one game this season (meaningless game near the end of the season) to just get the "feel" back. That would be tremendous.
yea but we havent gotten any MRI results either right? they were supposed to do some scans
sounds like they have gone through all the tests required ?
anyways here is some good info regarding nerve damage and healing process (hopefully not)
http://www.rebeccaayers.co.nz/procedures-and-information/hand-surgery/nerve-surgery-and-nerve-repair
Nerves and Nerve injury
Your nerves transmit sensory (feelings of touch, pressure or temperature) and motor (movement of muscles) impulses to and from your brain. Damage to nerves may result in reduction or a complete loss of sensation, weakness and dry skin.
When one of your nerves is cut or damaged, it will try to repair itself. The nerve fibres (axons) shrink back and ‘rest’ for about a month; then they begin to grow again. Axons will regenerate about 1mm per day. The extent to which your nerve will recover is variable, and it will always be incomplete. Recovery is improved if the cut nerve ends are brought together and repaired surgically.
If your nerve ends are not brought together, the nerve fibres still attempt to grow and find the other end. However, often the result is a lump of nerve ends (a neuroma) that is tender to knocks or pressure and in some cases can be uncomfortable all the time.
How long does my nerve take to regenerate?
Regeneration time depends on how seriously your nerve was injured and the type of injury that you sustained. If your nerve is bruised or traumatized but is not cut, it should recover over 6-12 weeks. A nerve that is cut will grow at 1mm per day, after about a 4 week period of ‘rest’ following your injury. Some people notice continued improvement over many months.
Sensory nerves are more resilient than motor nerves and can recover sensation months or years after injury.
Motor nerves have a time limit for healing. The reason for this is a structure called the ‘motor endplate’, where the nerve joins into the muscle. If the motor endplate receives no nerve impulse for more than 18-24 months, it dies away and there is no longer any way that the muscle can be activated by the nerve. The muscle then whithers away. Thus surgical repair of motor nerves needs to happen within 12-18 months of the injury.
Before sensation returns to the injured area, your limb is at risk of damage as it has no protective sensation. Please be careful of your hands or feet, especially around hot or sharp objects. Similarly, before the motor nerves recover your hand or limb may not be able to move normally or may develop abnormal postures. Hand therapy or physiotherapy will allow movement to be maintained while the nerve cells regenerate.
How do I know the nerve is recovering?
As your nerve recovers, the area the nerve supplies may feel quite unpleasant and tingly. This may be accompanied by an electric shock sensation at the level of the growing nerve fibres; the location of this sensation should move as the nerve heals and grows. Over time, these feelings subside and the area should begin to feel more normal.
Will my nerve recover completely following surgery?
Unfortunately, nerves never recover completely after they have been cut. The degree of your nerve’s recovery depends on a number of factors:
Age: As with many other things in life, your body becomes less efficient at healing itself as it grows older.
Mechanism of injury: Nerve damage from a cut has better chances of healing than damage from a crush.
The time since the injury: The quicker your nerve heals, the better it will recover.
The mechanism of repair: direct repair is best. Refer to surgical nerve repair options below.
The type of nerve: Sensory nerves heal better than motor nerves.
Associated injuries and whether there is tension across the repair. Sometimes the recovering nerve may be trapped within scar tissue. Recovery is significantly reduced if this happens.
Options for nerve repair and nerve surgery
Immediate nerve repair
Direct nerve repair
I use a microscope or magnifying glasses (loupes) to repair your cut nerve with sutures finer than a human hair. This type of nerve repair surgery has the best recovery rates. Whether or not I can perform direct nerve repair on your injured limb depends on the injury your nerve has suffered.
Nerve grafting
Sometimes I cannot directly repair your nerve ends, for example, if there is a piece of nerve missing or a delay in repair.
With nerve grafting, I take a length of nerve from somewhere else in your body and place it as a graft. I perform this repair using a microscope, too. You will have a scar from the surgery and often a numb patch in the area I took the nerve graft from.
Possible donor nerves include sensory nerves of skin of the forearm and leg. Having a numb patch on the side of your arm or foot is usually less bother than having a numb area on your hand.
As with all procedures I perform, we will have an in-depth consultation about all aspects of the surgery and recovery, including possible donor nerves, risks etc.
Later nerve surgery
Nerve Freeing (Neurolysis)
The nerve may have been repaired, and some recovery of function may have occurred, however scar tissue around the nerve causes tethering and discomfort when you move your hand. The scar tissue can also limit nerve cell regeneration. I can surgically release the scar tissue from around the nerve.
Nerve grafting
Your nerve may fail to recover due to a neuroma (link to the top of the page), or there is a persistent gap in the nerve. During the procedure, I cut back your nerve ends until I can see healthy ends, and I place a piece of nerve graft to facilitate normal re-growth of your nerve. The function (sensation and power) of your nerve is initially worse and then should gradually improve – it will be like beginning recovery all over again. Unfortunately, your hand’s function will never return to normal but should be improved with nerve grafting. The pain and discomfort you feel at the site of injury improves as recovery progresses.
Nerve wrapping
Sometimes a nerve is persistently tender. This is usually due to a neuroma. Wrapping a vein, fat or another substance around your nerve provides padding around the nerve and will make the area less sensitive.
Nerve burying
After a nerve is injured, sometimes painful neuromas develop in smaller nerves of your hand. They are usually in locations that are not suitable for nerve repair such as amputated fingers. I can cut away the neuroma and bury the nerve end deep in a muscle or bone. This prevents the nerve end from being knocked and should reduce the electric shock like pain. The area that the nerve supplied will be completely numb, and this is permanent.