Targeted Muscle Reinnervation

Following an amputation, prosthetics may drastically improve a patients’ ability to function. The most advanced prosthetics made today, myoelectric prosthetics, can read the signals from a patient’s nerves and translate these signals directly into motion, much like the body does naturally. These prosthetics require that the severed end of the nerve be transferred to the remaining muscles in such a way that the signals from the nerve can be read by the sensors in the prosthetic. This specialized type of nerve transfer is called Targeted Muscle Reinnervation. Peripheral nerve experts at the Rothman Institute are experts at this procedure and are able to interface closely with the prosthetists and therapists who create and fit these advanced prosthetic devices.

Even in patients who have not suffered amputations, or those who do not wish to obtain a myoelectric prosthesis, Targeted Muscle Reinnervation has significant benefits. Neuromas—painful collections of nerve fibers and scar tissue—can form after nerve injuries and substantially interfere with quality of life. Surgeons experienced in targeted muscle reinnervation can re-target these nerves to decrease or eliminate the symptoms of neuromas. This technique has been shown in clinical studies to decrease pain and the need for pain medications following nerve injuries.