Contact & nerve assessment

If you are worried now

Test movement first, because it changes the answer. Lift the arm above the head, spread the fingers, stand on tiptoe, walk a straight line, smile and close both eyes tightly. If a movement cannot be completed, or the face droops on one side, or an eye will not close, or a limb is cold, pale or blue, or there is loss of bladder or bowel control, go to the nearest emergency department immediately rather than waiting for a reply. This website is not an emergency channel and is not monitored as one.

When to come in

Numbness that is alone, that is shrinking at its edges and that is not painful is reviewed at the interval your team planned, usually once the swelling has settled and the patch is at its clearest. Numbness that is spreading, that has become painful rather than simply absent, that arrives with swelling, heat, redness or a fever, or that is stopping you from doing something you need to do is seen sooner rather than at a planned review.

What to bring

Bring the record of how the area has changed: drawings or photographs with dates, and notes on what you can and cannot feel, including light touch, a cold spoon and firm pressure. Bring your operation notes if you have them, or say which operation was performed and when, and whether it was a repeat through the same scar. Bring a list of your medication, and say whether you have diabetes or a circulation problem, because both change how numb skin is managed.

What the assessment covers

The examination tests movement before feeling, then maps the border of the numb area and compares its shape against what the operation would be expected to produce. Light touch, pinprick, temperature and vibration are tested against the other side, and deep pressure separately. The assessment also looks for a scar tethering a branch, a collection pressing on a nerve, swelling that has not settled, and infection. You should leave with clear answers: whether this is an expected sensory change, what the direction of travel has been, what is being watched, and when it will be reviewed.

Fees, records and privacy

This site does not quote prices, because the plan depends on the findings and is discussed directly at consultation. What was seen and what was done is documented so that the record follows you, and drawings or photographs taken at each review are what allow a direction of travel to be judged rather than remembered. Clinical photographs are not published or used for teaching without a separate consent you are free to refuse.