Surgery for Migraine Headaches

There are 28 million migraine sufferers in the United States, one-third of whom find little or no benefit from traditional medical therapies. These individuals often endure severe bouts of debilitating migraine headaches, resulting in frequent work absences and withdrawal from daily activities.

BOTOX® Treatment

There is recent evidence that BOTOX® may be an effective migraine treatment when injected into certain areas in the head and neck known as "trigger points". Although BOTOX® injections must be repeated at regular intervals, many patients treated at large national headache centers have reported a greater than 50% reduction in the frequency and intensity of their migraine headaches. Some patients have even noted a complete elimination of migraine headaches altogether. In our own practice we have a group of patients that have reported major reductions or complete elimination of migraine headaches after BOTOX®.

Surgical Procedure

We are now offering a surgical procedure to those patients that benefit from BOTOX® therapy, as an intended permanent way of reducing or eliminating migraine headaches. The surgery is performed as a "minimally invasive procedure" - no visible scarring, and involves releasing one or more of the "trigger points" involved in the inflammatory process resulting in migraine headaches. The surgery is performed as an outpatient and patients usually return to work in 2-3 days.

Patients must have had a recent exam by a neurologist and MRI in order to qualify. Please contact our office for a free consultation to find out more about these exciting new treatments for migraine headaches.

Facial Paralysis - Bells Palsy Treatment, Post-Acoustic Neuroma Surgery

Facial expressions are a key element in communication. They often communicate as much as the words we speak. This is why facial paralysis can be so devastating; it harms or takes away a vital mode of communication. If you or someone you love has experienced facial paralysis due to stroke, acoustic neuroma, or Bells palsy, treatment at the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction may be able to help.

Bells Palsy Treatment

Symptoms of Bells palsy can occur in many different forms, from excessive tearing or dryness of the eyes, drooping eyelids and corners of the mouth, or facial ticks, to weakness and even total paralysis of one or, rarely, both sides of the face. Bells palsy treatment at the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction can effectively address these problems and restore normal function to your face.

The Facial Nerves

The two facial nerves, one on each side of the face, are responsible for many different facial functions. These range from controlling the muscles responsible for blinking, smiling, frowning, to transmitting taste sensations to the brain.

Facial Nerve Post Repair

Bells Palsy

When impulses traveling along the facial nerves are disrupted, facial paralysis can occur. This condition, known as Bells palsy, is caused by inflammation of the facial nerve, which then swells inside the bony tunnel that surrounds it. Methods of Bells palsy treatment seek to relieve this pressure and restore the facial nerve's ability to transmit messages to and from the brain.

Methods of Bells Palsy Treatment

A variety of medications can be used to relieve swelling of the facial nerve, as well as to address the causes of that swelling. Other methods of Bells palsy treatment can be used to promote nerve health, and in the severest of cases, the physicians of the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction can relieve the pressure surgically, or even transplant nerves from other locations in the body to replace damaged parts of the facial nerve. Contact us today for more information about Bells palsy treatment.

Facial pain & TMJ

There are many people suffering with chronic facial pain and/or TMJ (jaw) related pain, often unabated by medical therapy. Serious disorders and diseases need to be excluded by the appropriate medical specialist, however there is often no identifiable cause even after a thorough physical exam and radiographic imaging (i.e. X-rays, MRI).

Therapy

For patients that have exhausted all other options, there may be an effective therapy. In certain cases, the problem may be localized to one or more nerves in the head and neck region that may be functioning abnormally. We are able to offer diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to these conditions - including surgical therapy - that may reduce or alleviate your pain syndrome.

Hand and Arm - Brachial Plexus Reconstruction, Ulnar Nerve Surgery, Radial Nerve Surgery

If the nerves that carry signals from your brain to your arm and hand are damaged by disease or trauma, you will likely loose some amount of function in the limb. Depending upon the degree to which your ability to use your arm or hand is harmed, this can have a major impact on your life. Fortunately, there are treatment options that can restore the nerves that have been damaged. The physicians of the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction are nationally and internationally recognized leaders in procedures such as brachial plexus reconstruction, ulnar nerve surgery, radial nerve surgery and other surgeries designed to reconstruct damaged nerves and restore your quality of life. We provide a multidisciplinary approach by a team of specialists, designed to address problems from a variety of perspectives.

Brachial Plexus Reconstruction

Brachial plexus reconstruction may be necessary for patients who are experiencing arm paralysis, pain or numbness as a result of damage to nerves in the shoulder. At the Institute for advanced reconstruction, our surgeons are adept at a number of different methods of brachial plexus reconstruction.

The Brachial Plexus

The brachial plexus is a large, complex bundle of nerves in the shoulder. Nearly all signals that go from the brain to the upper arm pass through the brachial plexus. When a person sustains injury to the shoulder, the nerves of the brachial plexus can also sustain damage, which can cause loss of sensation and paralysis of the arm.

Types of Brachial Plexus Injuries

Most brachial plexus injuries result from trauma to the shoulder, often in the form of stretch injuries. They can also be caused by pressure on the brachial plexus nerves caused by tumor growth in the area, accident, or physiological problems present since birth. The nerves of the brachial plexus may also be damaged by exposure to infectious agents chemotherapy, or radiation from radiation therapy.

Methods of Brachial Plexus Reconstruction

Depending upon its seriousness, treatments for brachial plexus injury range from physical therapy and medications that relieve inflammation, to surgical brachial plexus reconstruction to relieve pressure on the nerves. At the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction, we also perform nerve transplant surgery to help patients who have suffered massive injuries to the brachial plexus, or other types of paralysis.

Brachial Plexus Success Story

Median, Radial and Ulnar Nerve Surgery

If you are experiencing tingling or numbness in your ring and little fingers, hand weakness, tenderness inside the elbow, or weakness in your hand, you may have a problem that can be alleviated with median, radial or ulnar nerve surgery.

Arm Nerves

There are several major nerves in your arm that are responsible for carrying messages between your brain and your arm and hand. When problems occur with the median, ulnar or radial nerve, surgery can help alleviate pain and discomfort, and restore function to your arm and hand. There are several major nerves in your arm that are responsible for carrying messages between your brain and your arm and hand. When problems occur with the median, ulnar or radial nerve, surgery can help alleviate pain and discomfort, and restore function to your arm and hand.

Arm Nerve Repair

Problems with the Ulnar Nerve, Radial Nerve
and Median Nerve

Median, radial or ulnar nerve surgery may become necessary when are damaged or trapped as a result of trauma, though nerve problems most often occur spontaneously. Trapped or damaged nerves can cause pain, numbness, and even paralysis.

Median, Ulnar and Radial Nerve Surgery

There are a variety of treatments that can help patients who have problems with the peripheral nerves. If medication and the natural healing process are not sufficient, median, radial or ulnar nerve surgery can relieve the pressure. If you believe you may have a median, radial or ulnar nerve problem, contact the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction to find out about your nerve reconstruction options.

Hand Reconstructive Surgery

At the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction, we offer a full range of reconstructive surgery for the hand. In addition to carpal tunnel syndrome surgery, we perform a wide range of surgery designed to correct other, less common problems that develop in the hand. We are also able to reconstruct hands that have been harmed as a result of trauma. Contact the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction for more information about hand reconstructive surgery.

Hand Reconstructive Surgery Success Story

Prostate Reconstruction to Preserve Erectile Function

In radical prostatectomy surgery, nerves that are vital to erectile function are severed. At the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction, our physicians, working in conjunction with a team of skilled urologists, have mastered a revolutionary new procedure that allows men who have undergone a radical prostatectomy to retain normal erectile function.

The prostate reconstruction procedure is performed immediately after a prostatectomy; it adds roughly 20 to 30 minutes to the duration of the procedure, and does not involve any additional risk. Our surgeons remove about four inches of nerve tissue from the patient's calf, and then use it to restore the nerves that have been removed during the prostatectomy. This greatly increases the chances that a patient will have normal erectile function after the surgery.

The risks and side effects associated with prostate reconstruction by nerve grafting are minimal. After the nerves have been removed from calf, there will be a numb spot about the size of a half-dollar on the side of the patient's foot. The spot is so small that many men do not notice it until their physician points it out.

If you are about to undergo prostate surgery, contact us for more information about preserving erectile function with prostate reconstruction surgery.

Nerve Transplantation

To date, only 11 nerve transplants have been performed in the world. About 1/3 of those operations were performed at the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction. Our surgeons are on the cutting edge of modern nerve surgery; there are few places in the world where you can find such a combination of knowledge, skill and experience.

Nerve transplantation surgery can help patients who have suffered an injury to the nerve plexuses in the arm or the leg. The surgeons at the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction can use this procedure to restore function in patients who have nerves so severely damaged that no other treatment options can help.

When we perform a nerve transplant surgery, we work closely with an expert team of transplant specialists, neurologists, immunologists, and infectious diseases specialists. This allows us to provide the highest quality care and best possible results to our patients. Contact us for more information about nerve transplantation surgery.

Neuropathy Treatment

Peripheral neuropathy is a fairly common condition that causes decreased sensation in the extremities; if you feel numbness or reduced sensitivity in your arms, legs, hands or feet, you may be experiencing neuropathy. Loss of sensation can lead to wounds that do not receive proper attention, and which eventually become infected, occasionally necessitating the amputation of the limb; neuropathy is a prime cause of amputation in the United States.

Causes of Neuropathy

Compressed, or "pinched," nerves cause peripheral neuropathy. A variety of factors can increase the risk that nerves will become compressed. People with diabetes stand a much greater chance of experiencing neuropathy, and the condition can also be caused by alcoholism, lead poisoning, and the chemicals used in chemotherapy, though diabetes is by far the most common cause. Neuropathy may even occur spontaneously and seemingly without cause.

Neuropathy Surgery

Initially, it is important to address the causes of neuropathy, such as low blood sugar levels or presence of chemicals. To relieve existing neuropathy, the physicians at the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction can perform a new surgical procedure to relieve pressure on the afflicted nerves. The surgery, usually performed on an outpatient basis, requires only a few small incisions, and requires very little recovery time. This procedure, developed at Johns Hopkins University, has a success rate of 80 to 90 percent. Our surgeons are among the fewer than twenty doctors in the world who have been trained in this surgery.

Other Nerve Surgery - Foot Drop Treatment, Prostate Reconstruction, Neuropathy Treatment and More

At the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction, we offer a full range of nerve surgery for the whole body. Many of the state-of-the-art procedures we perform are only available at a small number of locations in the world; our physicians are leaders and innovators in the field of nerve surgery.

Foot Drop Treatment

If you find that you are unable to lift the front of your foot, and that you are either dragging the toe of your shoe or walking only on your heel, you are experiencing a condition known as foot drop. Treatment can greatly improve your ability to move your foot and therefore to walk normally.

Causes of Foot Drop

There are a number of different factors that can cause foot drop. Many of these result from problem with the nerves that control movement of the foot. This nerve can become compressed where it leaves the spinal cord because a lumbar disk has slipped, or it can be injured as a part of a leg injury that affects the calf bone. Foot drop can also be caused by nervous system disorders, such as diabetic neuropathy, some muscle disorders, and, in rare cases, a tumor or stroke in the brain's frontal lobe.

Methods of Foot Drop Treatment

Just as foot drop can have many causes, foot drop treatment can take many forms. If, for instance, you are experiencing foot drop as a result of nerve problems, your foot drop treatment would likely take the form of surgery to relieve pressure on the nerve. Contact the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction for more information about foot drop treatment options.