How to Correct Abdominal Neuroma

Neuromas form when a nerve has been compressed, irritated or severed. The affected area thickens as nerve fibers “sprout” and form a very sensitive scar.

Treatments for abdominal neuromas include drugs to manage pain, physical therapy techniques to dull the nerve, and various surgical procedures. Oral and topical medications have a mild to moderate effect on neuroma pain, but as you build tolerance, they become less and less effective.

If pain medications aren't working for you, there are other steps you can take with increasing levels of severity.

Instructions

• 1

  Numb the nerve fibers. Anesthetic injections around the nerve, or at their spinal cord source, numb nerve tissue temporarily. Over time, they can change the transmission of pain impulses.

  Cryotherapy involves exposing the nerve fibers to a freezing probe. This is only a temporary measure.

  Electrotherapies disrupt the conduction of nerve impulses, or help reduce nerve inflammation. There are various types of electrotherapy: some are external, some involve inserting a needle or probe, and others are permanent implants. Most electrotherapies are temporary measures, but some procedures burn or cauterize the nerve fibers permanently.

  Types of electrotherapies are:
  Electro-Acupuncture (EA)
  Inferential Current Therapy (IC)
  Micro-Current Therapy
  Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (PENS)
  Pulsed Short Wave Diathermy (PWSD)
  Radio-Frequency Stimulation (RF)
  Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)
  Transuctaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
  Transcutaneous Spinal Electroanalgesia (TSE)

• 2

  Treat irritation and inflammation. To help stop the swelling that leads to abdominal neuromas, doctors may scrape or strip the nerve, or remove tissue around it.

  Flap coverage involves grafting a composite piece of tissue over the nerve. This may prevent nerve fibers from sticking to other tissue and becoming irritated.

  Vein wrapping is another method used to protect irritated nerves from surrounding tissue.

• 3

  Repair the nerve. Surgeons can attempt to reattach severed nerves, or try and move their endpoints.

  Since neuromas form as the nerve fibers attempt to grow, translocation or “burying” a nerve allows this growth to happen in a way that doesn’t cause pain, and discourages new neural growth.

  After removing the neuroma, a surgeon may “plant” the nerve ending into an adjacent nerve, a muscle or a vein.

• 4

  Destroy the nerve. Radiofrequency can be used to burn or destroy nerve endings.

  Neurolytic peripheral nerve injection (NPNI) involves injecting the nerve with alcohol or phenol to destroy the nerve ending.

  Neurectomy is the removal of nerve tissue and involves cauterizing nerve endings.