As the major nerves responsible for responsiveness in your lower extremities, the common peroneal nerves start with your sciatic nerve and continue down your legs and into your feet. When damaged or compressed, they can trigger a host of unpleasant symptoms — including a condition called foot drop, which can cause:
While there are many different ways peroneal nerve injuries occur, one of the more common involves knee dislocation, often through a sports injury. In fact, patients with knee dislocation experience a 42 times greater chance of having a common peroneal nerve injury.
Common peroneal nerve injuries associated with knee dislocation require varying degrees of medical intervention, and early treatment is often essential for optimal outcomes. At Anthony Echo M.D., with multiple offices in Houston, Texas, our board-certified surgeon specializes in diagnosing and treating common peroneal nerve injuries.
Here’s a closer look at why getting early treatment for common peroneal nerve injuries is so important for your recovery.
If you’ve dislocated your knee through a sports injury and are experiencing any symptoms of common peroneal nerve compression or injury, don’t wait to get medical help from a trained specialist. Delaying treatment can make your condition more difficult to treat.
The longer the common peroneal nerve undergoes compression, the more it affects joint functionality. Dr. Echo can help you avoid complications by addressing your injury early with conservative therapies, such as:
Because other medical conditions can trigger similar symptoms, it’s important to be evaluated by an expert, like Dr. Echo, who can diagnose your condition and recommend treatment options. Dr. Echo begins by examining your injury to verify the symptoms you’re experiencing are triggered by damage or compression of the common peroneal nerve.
To confirm your diagnosis, you may need to undergo additional testing or imaging, such as an MRI, electromyography (EMG) study, or nerve conduction test. Based on his exam and your test results, Dr. Echo creates a personalized treatment plan.
While early treatment typically helps prevent the need for more invasive treatments, some common peroneal nerve injuries may require surgery because of the severity of the injury. The same is true for patients who’ve been struggling with a common peroneal nerve injury for some time.
In these cases, Dr. Echo may schedule you for common peroneal nerve compression surgery. During this surgery, Dr. Echo makes a small incision in your knee and removes the pressure on this nerve by releasing the thickened tissues that press on it.
Once the pressure eases, the nerve can start to heal. Nerves heal slowly, so it may take some time for you to regain function and notice improvements in gait, movement, and sensation, but over time, many most patients experience complete recovery.
If you’ve suffered from a knee dislocation or other injury that’s caused common peroneal nerve compression, contact the Anthony Echo, M.D. office in Houston, Texas, nearest you, or request an appointment online now.
