Treatment Available for Diabetic Neuropathy

The Midwest Institute for Peripheral Nerve Surgery has been established by Dr. J. Michael Maxwell and is located at 227 Riverside Ave. in Adrian, Michigan.

The Midwest Institute for Peripheral Nerve Surgery is one of a limited number of institutions in the U. S. and worldwide which conducts surgery to relieve the effects of nerve deterioration in patients suffering from diabetic neuropathy and other forms of upper extremity nerve compression such as Cubital Tunnel Syndrome, Pronator Syndrome, Carbal Tunnel Syndrome, Tardy Ulmar Palsy Syndrome, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, and Wartenberg's Syndrome.

The Midwest Institute for Peripheral Nerve Surgery is the only such facility located in this area of the Midwest.

Dr. Maxwell, a board certified orthopedic surgeon, is one of a limited, but growing, number of specialists in this field who have received special training to detect and relieve symptoms of diabetic neuropathy.

He trained for the surgical procedure at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. He also completed training on the Pressure Specified Sensory Device (PSSD) which is a non-invasive, painless testing device used in the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy and other peripheral nerve disorders.

Currently, 17 million Americans suffer from a disorder of sugar control. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that one in three Americans born in 2000 will develop diabetes during his or her lifetime--a forecast that envisions 29 million Americans will be diagnosed, and a further 10 million undiagnosed cases will develop by 2050.

Patients suffering from diabetes often experience numbness or tingling in the fingers and toes. About 60 to 70 percent of diabetics have mild to severe forms of nervous system damage. This is known as diabetic neuropathy, and these patients often experience ulcerations and sometimes amputations.

Even in patients with blood sugar in good control, neuropathy may occur. Patients usually begin to notice sensory changes, such as numbness or tingling in the fingers and toes. Over a long period of time, these sensory disturbances may cause loss of sensibility.

All too often, the current appropriate medical intervention fails to relieve suffering or beneficially improve the quality of life. If the process of nerve deterioration is diagnosed before it completely deteriorates, the neuropathy can be treated surgically.

While the surgery does not cure the neuropathy, the surgeon can successfully treat the symptoms. If the testing steps are followed, the rate of amputation, following corrective surgery, drops to almost zero.

Persons who may benefit from PSSD testing and surgery to restore sensation and strength may be referred to the Midwest Institute for Peripheral Nerve Surgery by their physician or may call the institute directly at (517) 263-0575.