Nerve damage after surgery - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

amyleigh28 · 01-22-2003, 12:19 PM

Is it resonable to think that nerves that were damaged during surgery can continue to worsen after the surgery? I had my jaw bone cut in half to allow the condyle to float down out of the socket and in having this done I had nerve damage which has caused numbness, pain, tingling in the right side of my jaw. This has gotten worse over the past couple of weeks and I am now getting a splint. Any thoughts on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

Amy

Elaine · 01-22-2003, 02:44 PM

Amy,
Nerve damage is one of the BIG risks of surgery. Sometimes the numbness will go away after a period of time, other times, you are stuck with it. I felt such relief from pain for about six months after surgery, but once the nerves and muscles grew back it was worse than I ever dreamed possible. I hate how doctors go into this surgery promising pain relief, because there is no guarantee.
I don't have any good advice for you as I have never had anything but "bad luck" when it came to TMJ surgery.
Hope things get better,
Elaine

Cymy Sue · 01-22-2003, 03:30 PM

The nerve pain can get better, but sometimes it takes a very long time. Bones heal quickly, muscles next and then the nerves.
I don't have a lot of encouragement to give you. The nerve pain I had from the sagittal splints (jaw breaks)
did get better, but I was left with a lot of numbness.
It's been 15 years. You can learn to live with the numbness.
Did they actually tell you there was nerve damage and that the pain is nerve pain? The pain from that surgery can be awful for a while, but does not always mean that there is permanent damage. It's a very MAJOR surgical procedure. It does take a long time for everything to settle down. My prayers that this is just a setback and that soon you will see improvement.

Good Luck,
Cymy Sue

amyleigh28 · 01-23-2003, 07:47 AM

The OS said that since it has been this long since the surgery that the numbness and all are pretty much permanent now. He did say that I have developed arthritis where the bone was cut. But did not elaborate as to whether this is causing the pain or if it is the nerves. Just went straight for the mold to make a splint!