Rehabilitation in Peripheral Nerve Injuries

Introduction: Rehabilitation in peripheral nerve injuries (PNI) is crucial for optimizing outcomes and restoring function. This multidisciplinary endeavor involves tailored interventions, emphasizing early intervention to harness the potential for nerve regeneration. Conservative management focuses on maintaining range of motion, sensory retraining, and pain management, while surgical interventions like nerve repair or transfer necessitate meticulous postoperative rehabilitation. Techniques such as nerve and muscle stimulation, splinting, and functional exercises play pivotal roles across various stages of recovery, from degeneration to functional restoration. Despite challenges, including polytrauma and socioeconomic factors, comprehensive rehabilitation, combined with surgical innovation, offers promising prospects for individuals with PNI, enhancing their quality of life and functional independence.

Methods: This review outlines rehabilitation approaches for nerve injuries, including conservative management for critical cases, post-surgical therapy after elbow nerve repair, and protocols for tendon transfer and nerve graft procedures. Techniques emphasize immobilization, progressive functional exercises, and patient-specific physical therapy to optimize recovery and minimize post-operative complications.

Results: Rehabilitation strategies demonstrated improvements in motor function, pain relief, and range of motion. Conservative management enabled functional gains, elbow nerve repair showed sensory-motor recovery, and tendon transfer for radial nerve injury improved hand strength. Nerve graft rehabilitation supported adaptive recovery, with successful outcomes linked to early, structured therapy and individualized progression.

Conclusion : PNIs require a multidisciplinary approach. It can yield some of the most favorable and gratifying outcomes within the realm of neurosurgery, provided timely and appropriate treatment is administered. Even in cases of severe injury, the potential for recovery remains promising when interventions such as nerve stimulation are employed effectively. It is imperative to use all efforts to optimize the chances of recovery, emphasizing meticulous surgical techniques, potentially including multistage procedures, followed by comprehensive rehabilitation. The patient must be informed and adequately prepared, both physically and mentally, for the process.