Treatment of Peripheral Nerve Injuries

Abstract

THE British Medical Bulletin is published monthly by the British Council for distribution abroad. Each number contains, in addition to valuable summaries of British research papers of medical interest, a special summary of recent work in some field of inquiry, which is written by an authority on that subject. Prof. H. J. Seddon, in an issue devoted to peripheral nerves, writes upon peripheral nerve injuries (Brit. Med. Bull., 1, No. 7; 1943). Clinical problems presented by nerve injuries have not, he says, received great attention except during times of war, when injuries of peripheral nerves are commoner than they are in normal times. The increasing mechanization of our civilization may, however, result in an increase of peripheral nerve injuries even in times of peace. In 1940 the Ministry of Health and the Medical Research Council established, at civilian hospitals in the Emergency Medical Service, five centres for the treatment of nerve injuries, three in England, and two in Scotland. Similar centres have been organized in Natal, India and the Middle East. Treatment often extends over long periods and rehabilitation is both general and specific, the former being designed to keep men fit mentally and physically and the latter to encourage fine coordinated movements and the recovery of tactile discrimination. It is often possible for a man to return to work or to military service before recovery is complete, R.A.F. pilots are even able to return to operational flying before they have completely recovered. While complete restoration of function occurs in only a minority of cases, it is remarkable how many patients are able either to return to their former work or to train for new jobs.