sural nerve surgery recovery time sural nerve surgery recovery time

Treatment of sural neuritis is aimed at addressing the underlying cause of nerve injury whether it is an ankle sprain or scar tissue. A nerve graft is a piece of nerve tissue that serves as a bridge to fill a gap between the two ends of a damaged nerve. If your footwear has straps or seams that press on the Achilles tendon, then its time to replace them. This is, in fact, more serious than pressure created by a shoe. The exercises that are done to treat sural nerve damage are delicate as you are trying to get relief, but at the same time, you arent trying to make the situation worse than it already is. It enables you to detect foot position and sensations, including touch, temperature and pain. The superficial sural artery and lesser saphenous vein accompany the nerve along its course, usually lying superficial and just posterior to the nerve. PMID: 11273977; PMCID: PMC1724297. Outcome depends on the cause of the problem. Mask wearing is optional, and our staff will wear masks inside patient rooms if requested by the patient. Herea YouTube Video you are going to find a massage that will work on your knee if you are in pain. For more information about Paizo Inc. and Paizo products, please visitpaizo.com. After six weeks, you can start increasing activity levels slowly. July 26, 2022 A sural nerve block is most often performed as an outpatient procedure in the emergency department to treat injuries in the lower leg. This may aggravate the sural nerve if it is irritated. . Getting Patients Home After Surgery Can Help Them Sleep Better, Lower Body Strength A Key Factor In Knee Injuries Among Young Female Athletes, Orthopedic Surgeon Discusses Whats Next For Patrick Mahomes Injured Ankle, Discomfort that is described as a burning sensation. Once injured, you are likely to experience a tingling pain or loss of sensation along the nerves location. The symptoms of sural nerve entrapment are fairly straight-forward. He then will cut an inch length of the nerve, close the wound and wrap it in a gauze that contains saline. Less commonly, patients have pain in the area where the nerve graft was taken. How do you release the peroneal nerve? Brachial plexus injuries, which affect your shoulder, arm or hand. Get useful, helpful and relevant health + wellness information. Sural nerve donor-site morbidity: thirty-four years of follow-up. 1999 May;80(5):604-6. doi: 10.1016/s0003-9993(99)90206-x. Learn more: Vaccines, Boosters & Additional Doses | Testing | Patient Care | Visitor Guidelines | Coronavirus. We are expressly prohibited from charging you to use or access this content. This may be accomplished by means of nerve decompression (either central or peripheral) or nerve grafting or repair. You can also start taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen. Long-Term Outcomes of Donor Site Morbidity After Sural Nerve Graft Harvesting. There may also be paralysis in the form of foot drop. Sural neuritis, also referred to as sural neuralgia, develops when an area of the sural nerve becomes entrapped, irritated or damaged. Med J Malaysia. It's often the result of trauma to the body, such as a hard blow to the neck, shoulders, or back. A review of 42 consecutive sural nerve graft patient records yielded 26 patients, at least 20 months following sural nerve grafting for trigeminal nerve repair, who participated in a telephone questionnaire survey to assess subjective outcomes. Immediately 6 weeks 3 months 6 months 9 months 1 year. For another, the scar tissue involved is often the result of surgery in the area, so the sural neuritis can actually be conceived of as a negative side effect of surgery. If the sural nerve is too damaged from previous scarring orsymptoms are severe, it is often best to remove the nerve. The most common cause of sural nerve damage is as a result of trauma to the leg, but it can also develop after a surgery if scar tissue ends up enveloping part of the nerve. The sural nerve runs down the back of the leg, behind the outside edge (lateral) of the ankle, and along the outside of the foot. They can get impinged or entrapped along the pathway from the gastrocs down towards the achilles and lateral malleolus. Atechniquethat helps your nerves have more freedom within the soft tissues that surround the nerve. These are done to relieve inflammation, so it will relieve the stress on the nerve. A fifth level injury that requires the same surgery will take the same time as a level four injury to recover. For one thing, this is a great deal more difficult to relieve. Graduated from ENSAT (national agronomic school of Toulouse) in plant sciences in 2018, I pursued a CIFRE doctorate under contract with SunAgri and INRAE in Avignon between 2019 and 2022. Our findings provide a guideline for general patient information regarding sural nerve donor-site morbidity. Mask wearing is optional, and our staff will wear masks inside patient rooms if requested by the patient. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. The use of a questionnaire for subjective assessment of neurosensory recovery following nerve graft repair yields outcomes information that is generally not considered in the traditional clinical patient assessment. The nerve graft provides a pathway for nerve regeneration, and nerve fibers grow about an inch per month, so it may take several months for the fibers to reach the muscle and skin that lost nerve supply. The site is secure. Surgical: Depends on underlying cause, however the goal is to decompress and free the nerve from site of impingement, or remove inciting impinging tissue (ie baker cyst or osteochondroma). Sural nerve biopsy has been a well established diagnostic procedure for the investigation of peripheral neuropathies for over 30 years and the techniques and indications were described by Dyck and Loufgren at the Mayo Clinic1 and Thomas.2 Although indications and guidelines for sural nerve biopsy have been described3 and retrospective studies of its value have been published, the first . The .gov means its official. HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help Chronic postoperative complications and donor site morbidity after sural nerve autograft harvest or biopsy. A review of surgical management of peroneal nerve lesions demonstrated that neural repair is the first priority in selected patients with peroneal nerve palsy. Tinels Test. eHealthstar. Tada K, Nakada M, Matsuta M, Yamauchi D, Ikeda K, Tsuchiya H. J Hand Surg Glob Online. Please use the menus or the search box to find what you are looking for. Ultrasound as needed to assess gastrocnemius or achilles for injury. The most common are Achilles tendon lengthening surgery, Achilles tendon surgical repair after a torn tendon, ankle fracture surgery for a broken ankle, flatfoot surgery,and fifth metatarsal fracture surgery. . It mainly occurs after working the quadriceps. Generally, you'll limit activities for the first six weeks after surgery. Purpose: McCrory, P., Bell, S. & Bradshaw, C. Nerve Entrapments of the Lower Leg, Ankle and Foot in Sport. The nerve is anesthetized and then the remaining pain is assessed. In many instances, nerve damage cannot be cured entirely. In many cases, the condition will resolve on its own with time. A nerve that is cut will grow at 1mm per day, after about a 4 week period of rest following your injury. It also heals well after surgery, with few if any complications. PMC . Would you like email updates of new search results? lIB@&j B]]-u5EvE^|!otxd}z.p[C>//=Wu^_i&//kN-=~hH8d`v`7NM3+>+t1kP;wv,`Skenwaq6ktmx3t:5Z3A?GASMkQWL$&8 krig5m5h6Kfm>mO7M 4[`xSCz_ w5 .5 1C.|'E-x> '$2=$nyOU`PBL?=LA? PWixt\CYtc_lT_D.3 AI(/ #|`px 6EFB}k{ 6TMP4$7@0v}ee.n%2_*x z_ @25RO iMJw?6Pt"+p!/w^\^Y/b.]`L$ CIF%HY^zR0i>Uh]serv0JUwp(44*oU#P_zIo|L3t}967}dEynmOQ QB3fAI3H5E p=p,*\0T)*?1DmYu[[w#/3m[{i8`gn 'FC6] 3M@\9`=/;j-`&_s!`4I!Mr[p0 2*E]=;'+o (Ih}m"yaD.]xrjv-F`@dtw?+J6Bx>J>2e-{SqJq]\,Q2 Because nerve damage is often progressive, it is important to consult with a doctor when you first notice symptoms. While the nerve may be minor in scope, it is capable of creating a fair amount of pain and discomfort when it is irritated. The nerve arises from the sciatic nerve at the distal third of the thigh, near the apex of the popliteal fossa. The surgeon then measures and cuts an appropriate length of the graft and attaches it to both ends of the injured nerve to bridge the gap. Stage 1: Ultrasound evaluation of a new method based on surface anatomical landmarks and sural nerve pathway February 2023 Foot & Ankle Orthopaedics 8(1):2473011423S0001 The indications for the procedure, therapeutic value, and complications associated with the procedure have received little attention in the surgical literature. Most cases of sural neuritis will either resolve over time or can be treated successfully with non-operative measures. Make sure you arent pressing down too hard to make it unbearably painful. Epub 2010 Aug 19. The perceived area of donor site sensory deficit decreased significantly over time. Keeping blood sugars within a healthy range if you have. Recovery time depends on the level of your injury. Using the unaffected leg, take a huge step and place the sole of the injured foot against the wall, and turn it out. Nerve repair was achieved by direct suture in 1 case and by means of a graft in 46 patients. Physical examination is the key to diagnosis. The sural nerve is spliced with the existing nerve to restore sensation and functionality to the muscles. desired to decrease surgery cost and intra It is possible to place the sural nerve under tension, similar to doing a slump or a SLR, by extending the knee and dorsiflexing the ankle. Also, because of the nerves location, problems with the sural nerve may easily be confused with Achilles tendon issues instead. and transmitted securely. What is the recovery time after surgery for peroneal nerve injury? This will only rarely have an effect on your gait, but it can definitely cause a great deal of discomfort. PMID: 10326928. Post op Instructions Sural Nerve Biopsy Author: John Dorman Created Date: 1/13/2019 7:52:39 PM . Selecting athletic footwear that fits well and replacing it once it wears out. Patients report severe burning and stabbing pain. Ive been diagnosed with entrapment sural neuritis and it is very debilitating and extremely painful. Forstretching, you can do a V-sit. Recovery of nerve function following surgery is very slow, with the nerve regenerating at rate of one millimeter a day. An MRI may be able help identify structural lesions that may be pressing against the nerve so the problem can be corrected before permanent nerve damage occurs. In the fossa, it is positioned medially to the tendon of the biceps femoris muscle, and lateral to the gastrocnemius muscle. This will gently stretch your front thigh or hip. It might be required for you to get a magnetic resonance imaging test as well. Citak M, Knobloch K, Albrecht K, Krettek C, Hufner T. sural nerve recovery was slowest, with the presenc e of pain- 2021 Dec;14(4):337-348. doi: 10.1177/19433875211002049. Nerve resection. If the percussion results in tingling, pins,and needles or electric shock sensations in the area, then the test is positive. The first thing to do is to apply ice to the area to ease irritation and inflammation of the nerve. Sural Neuritis. Complete Foot & Ankle Care, Indiana Podiatry Group. Nerve autografts taken from your body contain support cells, called Schwann cells, that help with nerve regeneration. Epub 2021 Mar 16. About the Peripheral Nerve Surgery Center Recovery After Nerve Graft Surgery Most people can go home the same day or one day after nerve graft surgery. 2010 Apr;68(4):715-23. doi: 10.1016/j.joms.2009.09.111. We believe that this technique is ideally suited for cutaneous nerve injuries in the lower extremity (eg, superficial peroneal, sural, saphenous) and upper extremity (eg, MABC, LABC, RSN). Appointments 866.588.2264 Appointments & Locations Request an Appointment Function Anatomy It divides at the knee into two terminal branches: the superficial peroneal nerve and deep peroneal nerve, which innervate the muscles of the lateral and anterior compartments of the leg respectively. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Patients and methods: Bookshelf Identification of Factors Associated with Sural Nerve Regeneration and Degeneration in Diabetic Neuropathy. Most patients reported no problems with scar cosmesis or pain. In the YouTube videohere you will find what nerve flossing is in more detail and what moves work for the saphenous nerve. Heinzel JC, Dadun LF, Prahm C, Winter N, Bressler M, Lauer H, Ritter J, Daigeler A, Kolbenschlag J. J Pers Med. If this becomes trapped or compressed, it can lead to pain in the legs and feet. Your sural nerve can help diagnose and treat complex nerve issues. Nerve graft surgery carries the same risks as all types of surgery, including the risk of infection, scarring and wound healing complications. Tighten your butt to make the tailbone point downward, to prevent you from arching your back. Retrospective review of microsurgical repair of 222 lingual nerve injuries. In order to qualify for Social Security disability benefits with neuropathy, you need to meet both the work and medical guidelines that are set by the SSA. Releasing the nerve. Spontaneous intraneural hematoma of the sural nerve. The sural nerve is the nerve in your lower leg that is responsible for sensation to the foot. Careers. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of sural nerve graft donor site. Putting a pillow between your knees can make side sleeping more comfortable, Sieberth says. It then traverses the popliteal fossa inferolaterally, towards the fibular head. Sural neuritis (a.k.a. Injury of sural nerves is due to direct trauma, MCL injuries or bursitis. While you are on the floor, in a V-shape, stretch your legs out in front of you. You may need a sural nerve biopsy if youre are showing signs of: A nerve graft uses healthy tissue to repair or replace damaged nerves. To work on your hip flexors, heres an exercise you can try. Injury to the sural nerve (level of medial, communicating or sural nerve see Figure 2) may also occur as a result of achilles rupture, ankle and achilles surgeries, and secondary to compression from cast application for lower limb injuries (Fletcher, , 2001). Nonetheless, these imaging studies may provide some information regarding previous surgery or other injuries to the area that may be related to the current symptoms. Time since the surgery (r = 0.63; P = .02), current difficulty in movement . Time since injury The earlier the nerve is repaired after the injury the better the success rates of the grafting procedure. Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. All Rights Reserved. If foot drop is long-standing, your doctor might suggest surgery that fuses ankle or foot bones or a procedure that transfers a working tendon and attached muscle to a different part of the foot. There was a moderate agreement between donor site recovery and nerve graft recovery (kappa = 0.32). 2001 Apr;35(2):131-2. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.35.2.131. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the Its affecting my quality of life at this point and my doctor is pushing for surgery and Id like to try other measures first. The page you are trying to reach does not exist, or has been moved. What that means is that they will investigate your symptoms and then use tests to rule out other causes. Beyond 5 years, no further improvement is to be expected. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546638/), Visitation, mask requirements and COVID-19 information. Sural neuritis leads to pain on the outside of the foot and ankle that is commonly described as burning in nature. government site. Accessibility desired to decrease surgery cost and intraoperative time and hasten postoperative recovery. Epub 2009 Dec 29. Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Sural Nerve. The sural nerve is then harvested from the leg to be used as an interposition, or bypass, graft. Common donor nerves include: The details of the nerve grafting procedure vary depending on whether you are getting an allograft or an autograft. Website Development Toronto by A Nerd's World. Because this is such a specific kind of irritation in such a small area, the diagnosis of this condition is not necessarily that difficult. et al. The two nerves that contribute to the formation of your sural nerve are your: Your sural nerve contains tiny, string-like fibers (axons). Unauthorized use of these marks is strictly prohibited. San Francisco CA 94123. 2010 Nov;68(11):2770-82. doi: 10.1016/j.joms.2010.05.065. Fifty-three patients were elected for surgery. These nerves control the functions of sensation, movement and motor coordination. In a report describing excision of the superficial and deep peroneal nerves in the lateral leg, with translocation of the nerves into a muscle, Dellon and Aszmann obtained excellent results in nine of 11 patients. We are vaccinating all eligible patients. Epub 2014 Oct 15. Before Your doctor may also decide that steroid injectionas well. It may occur following surgery of the foot and ankleor after a direct injury tothe nerve itself. That way you can reduce the likelihood of permanent damage. Some injuries can be repaired by re-connecting the ends of the damaged nerve (called primary or end-to-end nerve repair). With mild and/or intermittent symptoms, relief of numbness, tingling, and pain is often immediate. Your sural nerve is below your skins surface in the back of your lower leg (calf). With your right knee on the floor and the left knee bent, make a half-knee. Injury to the nerve can be acute or chronic and may result from intrinsic or extrinsic dysfunction. Nerve grafts are also sometimes taken from nonfunctioning nerve tissue below the injury. . sural neuralgia) is pain that occurs due to irritation or injury of the sural nerve. Injuries of the Peripheral Mandibular Nerve, Evaluation of Interventions and Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Your sural nerve is used because it lies close to your skins surface and is easy to find. Getting Patients Home After Surgery Can Help Them Sleep Better, Lower Body Strength A Key Factor In Knee Injuries Among Young Female Athletes, Orthopedic Surgeon Discusses Whats Next For Patrick Mahomes Injured Ankle, Symptoms that are aggravated by direct pressure. After surgery, you'll be guided to a recovery room where our expert staff will monitor your condition and treat you for any post-surgery pain. The second way the nerve can be of use is when performing a graft. Treating sural nerve issues begins with an accurate diagnosis, and this is best achieved through a physical exam with an orthopedic specialist. 2019 Dec 19;7(12):e2467. Living With A sural nerve graft can be attached elsewhere within your body to relieve: Your sural nerve starts in areas of your upper calf where two nerves join. The pain in the knee is called saphenous entrapment. Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies A positive test is a sign of neuritis. Then bend to the left foot and repeat what you did on the right leg. Fletcher MD, Warren PJ. Any information shared here is not medical advice. (Bryan et al., 1999). I Still Have Foot Pain After Surgery, Whats Next? What is the ICD-10-CM code for skin rash. The recovery time after a common peroneal nerve decompression at the knee is usually 3-4 months. You Might Have Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction. The nerve helps to restore any lost sexual function. . PM_AA+}0V?# It can also serve as donor tissue to diagnose and repair other nerve disorders. Your sural nerve is just below your skin's surface in the back of your lower leg (calf). Especially confusing is that sural neuritis can often present as Achilles tendinitis. Neurological examination should include toe-walking and heel walking (which should be unaffected by this injury). doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000002467. It travels down the back outer part of your leg, curves at your ankle and ends before your toes. Treatment depends on how severe your injury is, but can include surgery to repair or replace the damaged nerve. If you experience sural nerve pain, its important to see your healthcare provider. Please enable it to take advantage of the complete set of features! These will be used to eliminate the soft tissues in the area as the source of your issues. . Successfully treating the cause may relieve the dysfunction, although it may take several months for the nerve to improve. So, at least, there are physical symptoms that one might be able to observe. Commonly used autografts include the sural nerve, medial and lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerves, superficial branch of the radial nerve, dorsal cutaneous branch of the ulnar nerve, superficial and deep peroneal nerves, intercostal nerves, and the posterior and lateral femoral cutaneous nerves (Ray & Mackinnon, 2010; Schenck, Lin, Stewart, et . Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 01/18/2022. Changes in footwear to avoid direct pressure on the area. sural neuralgia) is pain that occurs due to irritation or injury of the sural nerve. Partial early recovery can sometimes occur and reveals itself by an increase in lung aeration by one to two rib spaces, suggestive of increased tone in the diaphragm. The donor nerve typically supplies sensation to an area of skin where sensation is not critical. Masks are required inside all of our care facilities. When a nerve graft is taken from your body, you may experience numbness in the area that the sensory donor nerve used to supply. The sample nerve will guide the doctor to know if there are any nerve disorders. Powered by - Designed with theHueman theme. Because the nerves selected for grafting do not perform crucial functions, most patients do not find the numbness to be a big concern. The sural nerve and its branches originate from the tibial nerve from the posterior knee and provide sensory input to the posterior leg. I Still Have Foot Pain After Surgery, Whats Next? The majority of patients tolerate sural nerve harvest without significant donor site morbidity. There are several likely surgical culprits that might cause sural neuritis. 2006 Oct;57(4):391-5. doi: 10.1097/01.sap.0000221963.66229.b6. If your pain is ultimately relieved by putting the sural nerve to sleep, there is a very good chance that the sural nerve is the source of your problems. Mild peroneal nerve injuries can cause numbness, tingling, pain and weakness. FOIA One of the tests that are done, is called the Tinels test. Before you leave, the surgeon may use a splint or sling, which you may need to wear for two or three weeks, to immobilize the affected limb. Create a rhythm by bending and straightening your front leg. What are the nerve roots of the sciatic nerve? How long is the recovery for a Nerve Graft? 269 Chestnut St. #271 Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and take a closer look at your foot. A nerve injury can result in loss of sensation, for some, it can result in pain. Im glad to finally have a diagnosis for this but am extremely nervous about another surgery. They may also conduct some physical manipulation tests to see if certain movements cause the onset of symptoms. 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44195 |, Important Updates + Notice of Vendor Data Event. For instance, retractors used to aid in exposure during surgerymay inadvertently stretch the nerve, or excessive scarring may develop around the nerve after surgery. We provide general wellness related information. Maintain a good posture by ensuring your head is over the shoulder. Your sural nerve is just below your skins surface in the back of your lower leg (calf). Finally, if there are no other options left, then it is possible that surgery may be used to release the nerve from entrapment. Few patients reported satisfaction with one site and not the other or complete dissatisfaction with both sites. Coming to a Cleveland Clinic location?Hillcrest Cancer Center check-in changesCole Eye entrance closingVisitation, mask requirements and COVID-19 information, Notice of Intelligent Business Solutions data eventLearn more. Although uncommon, the sural nerve may also beinjured during standard surgical approaches, as the course of the nerve around the foot and ankle is variable. Anatomy of the sural nerve in a computer-assisted model: implications for surgical minimal-invasive Achilles tendon repair. Common causes of damage to the peroneal nerve include the following: Trauma or injury to the knee. At this point, full walking activity is permitted. An osteochondroma may be seen. This way you are breaking up the scar tissue to help the nerve get accustomed to being moved. Beyond the Knife-Reviewing the Interplay of Psychosocial Factors and Peripheral Nerve Lesions. Surgical tumor removal is the only therapy, but during surgery facial nerve injury occurs. Having seen dozens and dozens of Doctors and . Br J Sports Med. (Richardson, A tinels examination can also be performed which may amplify or reproduce paresthesias. SurgeryIf nonsurgical treatments do not relieve symptoms, your physician may recommend surgery to decompress the nerve and repair or remove the damaged area. Conservative: if due to an acute injury, the sensory disturbance may improve with time. Surgical treatment of permanent diaphragm paralysis after . Surgical treatment for sural neuritisusually involves either: Although unlikely, one of the potential concerns of sural neuritis iscomplex regional pain syndromewhichcan be a debilitating condition. Anankle sprain, is a common cause of sural neuritis, as it results in a stretching injury of the nerve. Achilles tendonitis/tear, chronic exertional compartment syndrome, fibular stress fracture, tibia stress fracture, calcaneal stress fracture, cuboid fracture, 5th MT fracture, deep vein thrombosis. Six weeks after surgery, patients may resume running. for Sural Nerve Biopsy After Surgery . Did you know our resouces can be found in. Offering virtual care. All Rights Reserved. Neurotrophic keratitis, which is a rare disease affecting nerves in your eye. Finally, your doctor may also decide to use diagnostic nerve blocks in the area. Thus repair of the axillary nerve is commonly performed with cabled sural nerve graft when neuroma excision is necessary . All you have to do is stand with your back facing the wall. cZD6L=-_,*730jAyAi[2]1ZB={: [W0 "xaf /r~C0 We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. If theres no resistance, slide your opposite foot forward and lunge forward slowly so that the knee lines up with your ankle. A combination of 5 nerve roots that exit from inside the lower lumbar and upper sacral spineL4, L5, S1, S2, and S3forms the sciatic nerve.These 5 nerves group together deep in the buttock, near the front surface of the piriformis muscle, and combine to form the single large, thick sciatic nerve. Weyh A, Pucci R, Valentini V, Fernandes R, Salman S. Craniomaxillofac Trauma Reconstr. Unable to load your collection due to an error, Unable to load your delegates due to an error. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. Surgery. It travels down the back of the leg, over the Achilles tendon, and then along the outside of the foot to the end of the little toe. Epub 2020 Apr 10. stream bGYwO(A@tMUt6e^VBvM4$9Xw|5IX;$ bth{9PkD{3Z. Sural Neuritis. Ankle and Foot Center: San Francisco Bay Area Foot Pain Information Site. The sural nerve block is a regional anesthetic technique used as an alternative or adjunct to general anesthesia for foot and ankle surgery. ,, . sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal the sural nerve (a long nerve that extends from the ankle to the back of the knee) is often used. You can also injure it by wearing high heels for long periods of time. The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). National Library of Medicine Advertising on our site helps support our mission. Tapping over the nerve(known as the Tinel) creates an electricalsensation that is most exaggerated at the location of nerve injury. More severe injuries can be characterized by a foot drop, a distinctive way of walking that results from being unable to bend or flex the foot upward at the ankle. Your sural nerve can help diagnose and treat complex nerve issues. This will rule out problems with the bones in the area. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2465364/). Neurologic causes of foot drop include mononeuropathies of the deep peroneal nerve, the common peroneal nerve, or the sciatic nerve. Removal of the sural nerve . MRI is also unlikelyto be helpful, as the sural nerve is too small to visualize. Many health conditions can affect your nerve, including diabetes and sports injuries. Because the nerve is just under the skin, it is particularly susceptible to compression from tight shoes that put stress on the Achilles tendon.