Joint Denervation

An x-ray may be perfect—even a complete joint replacement may have been done—and yet a patient still suffers from pain. That’s because, exclusive of the joint itself, there is possibly nerve dysfunction or damage causing that pain and which has not been addressed.

That’s where Dr. Michael Rose of The Institute for Advanced Reconstruction comes in. An expert in nerve decompression and treatment of peripheral neuropathy, for the past decade Dr. Rose has performed joint denervation surgery. This surgery entails a relatively simple out-patient procedure in which Dr. Rose cuts or removes part of the nerve– the source of the pain–often providing instant and significant pain relief. Dr. Rose’s finds there is success for the majority of selected patients he has treated with this procedure.

Although relatively novel (Dr. Rose is among only a handful of surgeons to perform specialized techniques used for nerve decompression surgeries such as joint denervation), this procedure has actually been in practice since the 1950’s. However, it is only recently that this technique is being more widely applied. Affected joints treated are mostly knees and ankles (weight bearing and constant use exacerbates the pain in these joints), but also the wrist, shoulder or elbow can be affected.

The ultimate result is that those who have suffered chronic pain can get back to normal life. For Dr. Rose’s recent patients, these patients range from a young teenage female athlete with unresolved knee pain following surgery, to a middle-aged man with chronic ankle pain.

Click on the link for more information on our joint denervation procedure.