Barbara Beats Peripheral Neuropathy Thanks to Nerve Decompression Surgeries
Barbara is a 75-year-old woman who came to see Dr. Tim Tollestrup because of peripheral neuropathy symptoms. The 75 year old had been suffering from neuropathy symptoms in both feet for five years, preventing her from dancing and other activities she enjoyed. Driving had also become difficult because she couldn’t feel the gas pedal due to the numbness in her foot.
Barbara has hypothyroidism, a risk factor for neuropathy. She states that the numbness has only been going on for 5 years but she has had lifelong issue with her feet feeling like they burn. Both feet are affected equally although the bottom of the feet are much worse than the top. Recently, she has started to notice some deterioration in her balance as well.
Barbara underwent one surgical procedure on each leg to relieve the pressure on the nerves to the bottom of her feet.
Neuropathy surgery typically involves one or more surgical incisions to decompress nerves in the upper or lower extremities. The specific combination of surgical incisions is based on the location of the patient’s symptoms and their physical exam findings. This is tailored to each patient’s needs. Surgery involves general anesthesia but is done on an outpatient basis. Recovery time for most surgical procedures averages between two to four weeks with the patient being weight bearing as tolerated the entire time.
The success rate for neuropathy surgery is approximately 80%. “Success” typically means complete resolution of the pain and numbness associated with peripheral neuropathy. For people who respond to the surgery, these changes are permanent.
As for Barbara, she is doing much much better after her surgeries. She states that she has had approximate 80% reduction in the original level of her pain. She still has some burning in the plantar surfaces of both feet which is equal. This primarily occurs at night.
She is now able to feel a gas pedal again when she drives which gives her a lot of confidence. She states that she also no longer needs to walk with a cane that she is noted very good improvement in her balance as well.
If you or someone you know has neuropathy pain, Dr. Tollestrup can help. Call the office at 702-66-0463 to schedule an appointment.
*Disclaimer
We do not guarantee any specific results or outcomes for surgery, should our practice work on your behalf. Information on this website may be used as a reference for successes we’ve achieved for our patients, and not as an assurance or guarantee for similar results in all instances.