[physwa]

Hi all,

About 1.5 years ago I suffered a blow to my knee after which I started having pain there. 1 year of orthopedic care/PT did not improve it and finally an orthopedist suggested a possible nerve issue (likely a neuroma or nerve compression). A saphenous nerve block is able to (temporarily) stop the pain, but only lasts a short time. My pain medicine doctor suggested I speak with a neurosurgeon for potential surgical options (e.g., nerve resection).

Can anyone recommend anyone who in particular specializes in acute injuries (especially of lower extremities)? Pacific Northwest would be ideal but I haven't found anyone around here. So anywhere in the country is fine.

I've seen the Dellon Institute/John Hopkins and various trainees of Lee Dellon (and various discussions thereof). I've also come across Washington University, Michel Kliot at Stanford, Marc Mahon at Utah, and Christopher Winfree at Columbia. Any recommendations on who would be best for treating something like this?

Thanks for any help.

[Littlepaw]

Hi Physwa,

I had a peripheral nerve repair done by a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who did fellowships in both microsurgery and peripheral nerve. My doctor trained at Washington U with Dr. Susan Mackinnon. I personally had a good outcome. A traumatic neuroma was found and repaired. It isn't perfect but the injury was complicated. However, in my case, I got a lot of relief.

These specialists are difficult to find but I located two in my state by digging through the bios of plastic surgeons at academic institutions. You might also contact Washington U's peripheral nerve training program to find out what fellows they may have near you.

Best of luck to you no matter what you decide. I hope you find relief soon!

[physwa]

Thanks Littlepaw! Unfortunately there's no one who specializes in peripheral nerve surgery apart from hand surgeons in my metro area and if I won't be home, I may as well find one of the best. Dr. Kliot might have been a good possibility being just down the coast, but he's on extended leave right now. In the end, I'm planning to see Dr. Robert Spinner at Mayo. I have an appointment with him in about a month. I'll try to report back with how everything went with him.

[physwa]

Following up on this in case it helps someone sometime, I was very happy with Dr. Spinner at the Mayo Clinic and would definitely recommend him. Overall a great doctor and was especially good about discussing everything and all options.

He was able to confirm nerve damage during my surgery (which was a relief, since until then it was only a guess) and thus far my knee has been doing much better (though still healing).

[Jomar]

You might ask about some low level laser therapy (LLLT) for healing, or if some pain still after wards.. It's also called soft or cold laser, helps healing at cellular level and may help stop pain..
My chiro used it on specific pain areas for me and it worked quite fast.
You may need to seek out LLLT providers on your own if you are interested in it..