Bringing in Healthy Nerves to Stimulate Regrowth of Injured Nerves

In nerve transfer surgery, a surgeon will reroute a healthy nerve (donor nerve) to the injured nerve (recipient nerve) using microsurgical techniques. The healthy nerve then supplies the injured nerve with structural components and growth factors that facilitate regeneration of the injured nerve to restore nerve function.

The donor nerve is often a nerve branch that can be sacrificed without noticeable impact on limb function.

The nerve has to regenerate before you can detect return of function, and this process often takes several months or more.

The amount of time it takes to see results is based on the location of the nerve injury and the length of the nerve that needs to regenerate.

Nerve transfer surgery can often decrease the length of the portion of the that nerve needs to regenerate, thereby reducing the amount of time to recovery.

Learn more about Peripheral Nerve Surgery at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.