Ulnar nerve decompression surgery with a nerve conduit is presumably done for an ulnar nerve laceration with a nerve gap requiring the use of an interposition nerve graft or conduit.
This is a severe form of nerve injury and recovery from such a condition is slow and may take 1 to 2 years. The most important factor in nerve recovery and regeneration is age. The younger the patient, the better the recovery in such conditions.
Pain and numbness post-surgery for the above condition is expected and is a normal phenomenon as a result of the nerve injury. Numbness will correspond to the distribution of the sensory nerves of the ulnar nerve, namely over the little finger and the ulnar half of the ring finger, as well as the ulnodorsal part of the hand.
As the nerve regenerates, the intensity and area of the numbness will reduce. Pain is associated with nerve injury and is called neuropathic pain. The brain receives signals from the injured nerve and perceives it as pain. Neuropathic pain may be tricky to treat.
Treatment modalities include:
- oral medication,
- TENS treatment and
- hand occupational therapy
A pain specialist may also be helpful in controlling more recalcitrant or complex pain cases. The hand surgeon who performed the surgery above will be better able to direct the patient to the relevant treatment modalities with regards to treating the numbness and pain which should diminish with time.
