Nerve Transfer for complex nerve injuries

Nerve Transfers offer hope for patients with complex upper extremity injuries. During major trauma it is possible to cut a nerve or to injure the brachial plexus, a group of nerve in the shoulder. Both of these types of nerve injuries can result in a nerve not working. Patients may experience numbness or loss of movement.

Traditionally, nerve injuries were not able to be repaired. Instead of getting the nerves to work again, surgeons would borrow function from another muscle in a tendon transfer. However, new surgical techniques have been developed to transfer nerves to other nerves.

Similar to splicing in a live wire to a dead wire in an electrical circuit a nerve transfer take a portion of a functioning nerve and transfers it to a non-functioning nerve. Over time the transfered nerve leads to reinnervation of the damaged nerve and muscle and the nerve function can be restored.

Dr. Jayme Bertelli, a brazilian surgeon, has pioneered this field. He has shown that nerve transfers provide better long term function that traditional tendon transfers for a major of upper extremity nerve injuries.

Dr. Hustedt conducts nerve transfers for complex upper extremity injuries. Make an appointment today to see if a nerve transfer may be right for you.