What is Radial Neuropathy?

Radial neuropathy is a medical condition that happens when you injure your radial nerve. The radial nerve is a major nerve that runs down your arm. When it gets damaged or squeezed, it can cause weakness in your wrist and fingertips.

A very common sign of this problem is called "wrist drop." This is when your wrist hangs down limply, and you cannot lift it up normally.

The radial nerve starts from nerve roots that come out of your upper spinal cord in your neck. From there, the nerve travels down your upper arm. In some places, it runs very close to your humerus, which is the long bone in your upper arm. As the nerve moves down, it splits into many smaller branches. The largest of these branches is called the posterior interosseous nerve. Because of where this nerve travels, you can injure it near your upper arm bone or further down around your elbow and forearm.

If you have radial neuropathy, you will notice that your wrist feels very weak when you try to lift it up. Your fingers will also feel weak, and you might find it hard to straighten them out. You might notice that your thumb feels weak too. If the injury happened high up near the start of the nerve in your shoulder or armpit area, even your elbow might feel weak when you try to move it. On top of the weakness, people often feel numbness or a tingling feeling on the back of their thumb and sometimes on their forearm.

What does radial nerve pain feel like?

An injury to your radial nerve can cause a wide variety of uncomfortable feelings. Most of these symptoms show up on the back of your hand, your thumb, and your fingers.

People with radial neuropathy often report feeling:

• Sharp pain: A sudden, shooting pain that travels down the arm or hand.
• Numbness: A loss of feeling where you cannot feel things touching your skin properly.
• Tingling: A strange sensation that feels like pins and needles.
• Burning: A hot, stinging ache in the hand or fingers.
• Weakness and loss of movement: A total inability to straighten out your hand, lift your wrist, or move your fingers normally.

What causes radial neuropathy?

You do not always have to go through a major accident or trauma to injure your radial nerve. It can happen from a sudden hard hit, but it can also happen from normal, everyday activities.

Here are the most common causes of radial neuropathy:

• Broken bones: Fracturing or breaking your upper arm bone (the humerus) is a very common cause because the nerve sits right next to the bone.
• Direct impacts: Getting hit hard on your arm or your wrist can bruise or damage the nerve.
• Nerve compression: This happens when something presses hard against the nerve for a long time and cuts off its signals.

There are also a few specific everyday ways you can accidentally compress or squeeze this nerve:

• Awkward sleeping positions: Sleeping with your upper arm bent or pressed awkwardly under your body can squeeze the nerve.
• Using crutches: If you lean too hard on crutches under your armpits, the pressure can damage the top part of the nerve.
• Saturday Night Palsy: This is a well-known name for a specific situation. It happens when someone drinks too much alcohol and falls into a deep sleep while sitting in a chair. If their arm hangs heavily over the hard back of the chair, the constant pressure can severely compress the radial nerve while they sleep.

How long does it take for radial neuropathy to heal?

The good news is that radial neuropathy heals on its own in about 90% of cases. However, you will need patience because nerves heal very slowly.

Usually, it takes about 3 to 4 months of healing while a doctor monitors your progress. Some cases might take up to 6 months to get completely better.

If your nerve problem was caused by a broken bone, or if the nerve is physically trapped inside your tissue, the healing process can take a lot longer. In those tougher situations, you might need extra medical treatments or procedures to help the nerve recover.

Can radial nerve damage be permanent?

Most mild to moderate cases of radial nerve damage will get better on their own over time. However, if the injury is severe, the long-term effects can last for years or even become permanent.

The radial nerve is responsible for controlling the specific muscles that let you rotate your forearm. When this nerve suffers bad damage, you might find it very difficult to turn your hand so that your palm faces upward. This movement is called supination.

Some people might lose a little bit or even all of their ability to move their wrist and hand. If the radial nerve does not heal the right way, or if it cannot finish healing completely, it can leave you with permanent muscle weakness in your arm and hand.

Most patients with standard radial neuropathy will start to see great recovery within 90 days. If a patient has a much more severe form of the condition, they might need a doctor to perform surgery to take the pressure off the nerve so it can survive.

How do doctors check for radial neuropathy?

To find out if you have radial neuropathy, a doctor will start by checking your arms. They will compare your injured arm directly with your healthy arm to see what is wrong.

During this checkup, the doctor will look closely at:

• How well you can move your arm and hand (your range of motion).
• Whether your muscles feel weak when you push against something.
• Whether you have lost any muscle bulk or size in that arm.
• Whether your wrist hangs down loosely (wrist drop).

What are the tests for radial neuropathy?

Depending on how you hurt your arm, your doctor might need to run a few special tests to see exactly what is happening inside your body.

• No extra tests: If you wake up with a weak wrist after sleeping awkwardly on a chair, and you did not have an accident, your doctor might not need to run any extra tests at all. The story explains the cause perfectly.
• X-rays: If you recently hurt your arm in an accident, a fall, or a sports injury, your doctor will likely order an x-ray. This helps them see if a broken bone is pinching or tearing the nerve.
• Electromyography (EMG): In some cases, a doctor will use a test called an EMG. This test measures the natural electrical activity inside your muscles. It helps the doctor figure out if your weakness is being caused by a muscle problem or a nerve problem.

How do you treat radial neuropathy?

• Physical therapy: This involves working with a therapist to do special exercises. Physical therapy helps you safely push your limits. It slowly strengthens your muscles, improves your coordination, and helps you move your arm and hand fully again. A physical therapist might suggest different treatments, including gentle yoga stretches or electrical stimulation to keep your muscles active.
• Medication: Doctors can give you medications that do a great job of lowering nerve pain. These medicines work by fighting inflammation and calming down your pain receptors. Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most common medicines people use.
• Occupational therapy: This type of therapy focuses on helping you do your daily tasks, like eating, dressing, or using a computer. An occupational therapist teaches you new ways to use your hand and wrist safely while you are recovering. The main goal is to help you stay independent.
• Splints and braces: Resting your arm is incredibly important. Using a supportive splint or a brace keeps your wrist and hand in a straight, functional position. This takes the strain off the nerve, lowers your pain, and helps your body heal, especially if your injury came from a sudden strain or trauma.
• Surgery: If your nerve pain is caused by a bone fracture or a severely pinched nerve, a doctor might recommend surgery. The surgery works to release the trapped nerve, fix any broken bones, and remove the pressure that is causing the intense pain.

Why choose Tender Palm Super-Speciality Hospital for Radial Neuropathy Treatment in Lucknow, India?

Tender Palm Super-Speciality Hospital offers advanced Radial Neuropathy treatment in Lucknow, India, at an affordable cost. We have a team of experienced neurologists and orthopedic surgeons who provide accurate diagnosis and both non-surgical and surgical treatment options including nerve conduction studies, nerve decompression, and comprehensive neurological rehabilitation procedures. Our Neurology and Orthopedics team has decades of experience in successfully treating Radial Neuropathy in Lucknow, India.

To seek an Expert Consultation for Radial Neuropathy Treatment in Lucknow, India:

Call us at +91-9076972161
Email at care@tenderpalm.com

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