Is Physical Therapy Helpful For Wrist Drop After Radial Neuropathy?

Posted on Mon, 7 Dec 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 8 Dec 2015 Answered on

Tue, 29 Dec 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I have Saturday night palsy from falling asleep while reading with my arm resting on a metal chair arm. It was compressed below the elbow and now I have wrist drop and can't move fingers very well. I went for theraputic massage and wonder if this will help or hinder the progress. It does seem a bit better after two days. Thank you for your feedback! XXXXXXX

Answered by Dr. Dr. Erion Spaho (6 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Physical therapy.

Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for using HCM.

I have read your question and understand your concerns.

Physical therapy of the muscles below the palsy level helps in maintaining muscles bulk and help in recovery time to.

So, massage of muscles helps.

There is need to get done nerve conduction study and EMG, in order to evaluate properly the damage extension and to predict recovery time.

Minimal damage of nerve sheaths takes two to four weeks to recover, more severe damage ( damaged axons ) could take months to recover.

Hope you found the answer helpful.

Let me know if I can assist you further.

Greetings.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T