Trapped Nerve Treatment London – Ultrasound Guided Hydrodissection and Hydro-Release
A trapped nerve – medically known as nerve entrapment or nerve compression neuropathy – is one of the most common and most painful musculoskeletal conditions. The characteristic burning, shooting, electric pain or persistent numbness and tingling that nerve entrapment causes can be debilitating – and conventional treatment, which typically relies on rest, physiotherapy, steroid injections or surgery, often fails to provide lasting relief.
At Proback Clinic in Victoria, London, we specialise in ultrasound guided nerve release techniques – Hydrodissection for nerve entrapment and Hydro-Release for fascial restriction – that address the mechanical cause of nerve compression with pinpoint precision, without surgery and without steroids.
What Is a Trapped Nerve?
A nerve becomes trapped or entrapped when the surrounding tissue – whether scar tissue, fascial adhesion, an inflamed tendon, a herniated disc or a thickened ligament – compresses or constricts the nerve as it travels through its anatomical pathway. This compression reduces blood flow to the nerve, generates neurogenic inflammation around it and disrupts the normal transmission of nerve signals – producing the characteristic pain, numbness, tingling, weakness and burning associated with nerve entrapment.
Common trapped nerve presentations include carpal tunnel syndrome (median nerve at the wrist), cubital tunnel syndrome (ulnar nerve at the elbow), thoracic outlet syndrome (brachial plexus), meralgia paresthetica (lateral femoral cutaneous nerve), tarsal tunnel syndrome (tibial nerve at the ankle) and sciatica (sciatic nerve from the lumbar spine). However nerves can become entrapped at virtually any point along their course – particularly where scar tissue has formed following injury or surgery.
Why Conventional Trapped Nerve Treatment Often Falls Short
Standard approaches to trapped nerves include physiotherapy, anti-inflammatory medication, steroid injections and surgical decompression. Each has significant limitations.
Physiotherapy can help where muscle imbalance or posture is contributing to the entrapment – but it cannot release fascial adhesions or scar tissue that are mechanically compressing the nerve from within the tissue.
Steroid injections reduce inflammation around the nerve temporarily but do not release the mechanical entrapment causing the compression. When the steroid wears off the nerve is still trapped and the pain returns.
Surgery carries significant risks including infection, further scar tissue formation – which can create new entrapments – nerve damage and lengthy recovery.
Ultrasound Guided Hydrodissection – Releasing Trapped Nerves Without Surgery
Hydrodissection is a minimally invasive procedure that uses live ultrasound imaging to visualise a compressed nerve in real time and inject a natural solution – typically 5% dextrose combined with B12 – precisely around the nerve to mechanically separate and free it from the surrounding tissue that is compressing it.
The procedure works through two mechanisms simultaneously. The fluid pressure of the injection gently separates the fascial layers and scar tissue that are compressing the nerve – a purely mechanical release. And the 5% dextrose solution delivers a direct anti-inflammatory effect at the nerve interface, reducing the neurogenic inflammation that has developed around the compressed nerve and that is contributing to the pain signal.
The B12 component – where included – provides additional nerve regenerative support, promoting remyelination and nerve tissue repair alongside the mechanical release.
Ultrasound Guidance – Why It Makes the Difference
The key to effective Hydrodissection is precision – the solution needs to be placed around the nerve itself, not in the general vicinity. This is only reliably achievable under live ultrasound guidance.
Using our SonoSite ultrasound machine we can visualise the affected nerve in real time – seeing it as it travels through the surrounding tissue, identifying exactly where the compression or entrapment is occurring and guiding the needle to the precise point of release. We can then watch the fluid spread around the nerve on screen as it is injected, confirming the release has occurred before we finish.
This level of precision is simply not possible with landmark based or blind injection techniques – which is why ultrasound guided Hydrodissection consistently produces better outcomes than non-guided approaches in the published literature.
Hydro-Release – Releasing Fascial Restrictions
Hydro-Release is a related but distinct procedure that targets fascial adhesions and scar tissue rather than nerve entrapment specifically. Where the surrounding fascia has become thickened, bound or adherent – through injury, surgery, inflammation or repetitive strain – it can compress multiple structures simultaneously and restrict the normal gliding movement of nerves, tendons and muscles through their sheaths.
Hydro-Release uses the same ultrasound guided injection technique to separate and release these fascial adhesions from within – restoring normal tissue gliding and reducing the mechanical compression on the structures passing through the affected area.
Many patients with trapped nerve presentations have both nerve entrapment and fascial restriction contributing to their symptoms – in these cases we use both Hydrodissection and Hydro-Release within the same session to address every component of the presentation.
Neuro Prolotherapy – Calming the Sensitised Nerve
Where a nerve has been compressed for a significant period it often becomes chronically sensitised – generating pain signals independently of the mechanical entrapment. Even after the nerve is mechanically released through Hydrodissection the sensitised nerve pathway may continue to generate pain until the neurogenic inflammation is specifically addressed.
This is where Neuro Prolotherapy plays a critical complementary role. Precise subcutaneous micro injections of 5% dextrose solution along the superficial pathway of the sensitised nerve calm the chronic neurogenic inflammation and restore normal nerve function – addressing the sensitisation component that Hydrodissection alone cannot fully resolve.
For patients experiencing persistent or widespread nerve symptoms, we also offer specialised Neuro Prolotherapy for nerve pain as part of a comprehensive treatment approach.
Common Conditions We Treat
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Cubital tunnel syndrome – ulnar nerve at the elbow
- Thoracic outlet syndrome – brachial plexus
- Meralgia paresthetica – lateral femoral cutaneous nerve
- Tarsal tunnel syndrome – tibial nerve at the ankle
- Sciatica – sciatic nerve entrapment
- Peroneal nerve entrapment – contributing to drop foot
- Occipital nerve entrapment – contributing to occipital neuralgia and cervicogenic headache
- Post surgical nerve entrapment – where scar tissue has formed following surgery
- Peripheral neuropathy with a compressive component
Pricing and Next Steps
Our initial consultation is currently on special offer at £110 – reduced from £270 – and includes a full clinical examination, ultrasound assessment where appropriate and a dedicated results appointment where your findings and personalised treatment plan are explained in full before you commit to anything further.
Treatment: first area £275 per session, each additional area £85. 15% discount when prepaying for a full course upfront.
Give us a call on 0207 976 6648 or email victoria@proback.co.uk.
Proback Clinic, 4 Evelyn Mansions, Carlisle Place, Victoria, London SW1P 1NH. Five minutes from Victoria station.
