All Procedures

Chronic Post-Operative Groin Pain

Common Triggers and Symptoms

Commonly triggered by:
- Groin Hernia Surgery (Men >> Women)
- C-Section & Hysterectomy
Presenting symptoms:
- Groin pain
- Testicular/Vulvar pain
- Groin/scar tenderness on palpation

Understanding Chronic Post-Operative Groin Pain

Initial treatments:

Supportive observation, pain medications, and physical therapy, but these are often unsuccessful as the underlying cause is not addressed.

Common outcome:

Continued symptoms despite medical care, negatively affecting quality of life (QOL).

The Importance of Timely Referrals and Surgical Intervention

Evidence-Based Approach to Timing of Nerve Surgery

Clinical outcomes progressively deteriorate as the time between the injury and surgical repair increases.
The level of clinical recovery following nerve injury is inversely proportional to the severity of the injury.

Importance of Timely Intervention

Delays in nerve surgery can worsen outcomes:

Recovery is inversely related to injury severity
Early referral improves clinical outcomes
Mackay et al., Annals of Plastic Surgery, 2021

Reference:

Mackay BJ, CT Cox, IL Valerio, JA Greenberg, GM Buncke, PJ Evans, DM Mercer, DM McKee, I Ducic. Annals of Plastic Surgery – DOI: 10.1097/S147.000000000002767, 2021.

Awareness and Acknowledgment Issues

A large group of chronic nerve pain sufferers reported:

felt they should have been referred sooner

were not told that nerve surgery was an option for their problem.

were told no nerve intervention was needed, and the nerve would recover, but it might take a year or more.

were told that nothing could be done for their nerve problem.

Insurance Carriers

Despite many published evidence-based and peer-reviewed studies, nerve surgery is often classified as experimental, leading to coverage denials and prolonged patient suffering.

Chronic Groin Pain Following Surgery

A nerve surgery evaluation may be warranted if you have had groin surgery and developed chronic groin/testicular/vulvar pain lasting more than 3 months.

Summary

If you value a surgeon’s expertise, consider contacting Dr. Ducic’s office for an evaluation. He is board-certified in plastic surgery, completed a nerve surgery fellowship, and has dedicated his practice entirely to nerve surgery. With over 25 years of clinical experience, he has published over 100 studies and lectured at 300+ events as an invited speaker or Visiting Professor.

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