Nerve Hydrodissection: A Breakthrough Treatment for Nerve Pain
If you’re dealing with chronic pain, numbness, burning, or tingling that hasn’t responded to traditional nerve treatments like gabapentin or lidocaine patches, nerve hydrodissection may be the game-changing solution you’ve been looking for. Whether your symptoms began after a known nerve injury or they developed unexpectedly from unexplained nerve irritation, this non-surgical procedure is designed to reduce inflammation, relieve pain and irritation, and provide your nerves with the environment they need to heal.
Nerve hydrodissection works by injecting fluid around a nerve under precise ultrasound guidance to separate it from surrounding tissues, such as fascia, muscles, or ligaments, that may be compressing or irritating it through friction. After the treatment, the nerve can function better due to improved blood flow, which results in reduced pain and ultimately an improvement in your quality of life.
What Exactly Is Nerve Hydrodissection?
Nerve hydrodissection is similar in technique to a nerve block, but it’s still completely different. This procedure is a meticulous, image-guided technique that utilizes the mechanical force of injected fluid to separate the nerve from surrounding tissues, without scalpels or scars. That separation not only allows for improved blood flow, reduced inflammation, and restored nerve mobility, but it can also give the nerve a chance to heal.
During your treatment, we utilize advanced ultrasound imaging to visualize the nerve in real-time, ensuring a complete spread of the fluid around the nerve, which is crucial for achieving the most effective treatment. Why is that so important? Because without this 360° release, the nerve may remain tethered or compressed, and the results won’t be as effective.
What Fluid is Injected?
Our physicians can inject a wide range of fluids, each with unique characteristics. After your physical exam and assessment, we will determine which fluid is best for your case. Some of the different fluids include:
Each has unique healing properties, and we tailor our approach to meet your body’s specific needs.
- 5% Dextrose (D5W)
- Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)
- Platelet Lysate
- Platelet Poor Plasma (PPP)
- Microfragmented Adipose (Fat) tissue
- Alpha 2-Macroglobulin (A2M)
How Nerve Hydrodissection Can Help You Heal
When a nerve is frictioned, entrapped, or compressed, whether due to fascia that no longer glides properly, old scar tissue, a loose ligament, or inflammation, it can’t function properly. This often leads to chronic pain that doesn’t respond to oral medications like Ibuprofen, Aleve, or sometimes even opiates. When nerve inflammation persists, it can lead to weakness, numbness and tingling, and even muscle wasting. If you’re suffering from any of these, nerve hydrodissection can have a large impact on your symptoms and your quality of life.
By mechanically decompressing the nerve and bathing it in biologically active solutions with a nerve hydrodissection, your body has a much greater chance of healing. Here’s how it helps:
- Improves blood flow to the nerve by reducing pressure on small blood vessels
- Reduces nerve inflammation from irritated or compressed nerves
- Improves nerve mobility, reducing friction and mechanical strain
- Targets the root cause, rather than just symptoms, for long-lasting relief
While nerve hydrodissection can be used for almost any nerve in the body, it can be especially powerful for conditions such as:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Cubital tunnel syndrome
- Tarsal tunnel syndrome
- Cluneal neuralgia
- Neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome
- Foot drop due to peroneal nerve entrapment
- Meralgia paresthetica
- Sciatic nerve compression
- Cervical, thoracic, or lumbar radiculopathy
Many people are surprised by how common nerve pain actually is, even when there is no numbness, tingling, or shooting nerve pain. Inflammation from nerves is one of the main reasons why conventional treatments fail for chronic pain in many areas of the body. Many people come to us after months or years of treatment elsewhere with minimal improvement, often because the nerve itself wasn’t the focus. If this sounds like your story, you’re not alone.
Even in cases where you’ve had regenerative injections in the past, such as prolotherapy, PRP, or even stem cell therapy, if the nerves were not addressed, results can plateau or even be non-existent. Nerve hydrodissection may be a missing piece to chronic pain puzzle.
Why The Diagnosis and Injection Technique Matter
Unfortunately, not all nerve hydrodissections are created equal. The success of this treatment depends on three critical factors: accurate diagnosis, technical skills, and the injected solution.
Accurate Diagnosis
This needs to form the core of every nerve hydrodissection treatment. If your knee pain is caused by irritation of the infrapatellar branch of the saphenous nerve, but all of your past treatments have focused on your meniscus tear, then this may explain why you haven’t seen results in the past. Our priority with each and every patient is to meticulously identify the nerve contributing to your pain, so you can finally achieve the results you deserve.
Technical Skill
Even when the diagnosis is accurate, if the nerve hydrodissection is not adequately performed, the treatment may not work as well as it could, or worse, it could fail. We meticulously ensure full circumferential spread around the nerve under ultrasound guidance, as anything less can result in incomplete treatment.
Injected Solution
Each patient, and therefore each nerve issue, is unique, requiring an individualized approach that includes the specific injected solution. There are no cookie-cutter protocols at Regenerative Performance. Your physician will tailor the solution to your specific situation, increasing the likelihood that you’ll achieve the results you’ve been looking for.
At our clinic, we don’t guess. We combine a detailed physical exam with diagnostic ultrasound to precisely identify the nerve contributing to your pain, and then treat it with the precision it deserves.
If you feel like you’ve tried everything and are still in pain, don’t settle for temporary fixes or cookie-cutter protocols. Schedule your comprehensive consultation today to find out if nerve inflammation is the missing link in your story.
What to EXPECT:
Our approach
Detailed history and
current health status
Your initial appointment will include a deep dive into your health history, as well as your current health status and what brought you in today.
Medical, lifestyle, and behavioral evaluation
We will perform a medical evaluation and assess your current lifestyle, in addition to any behavioral or mental blocks that might be holding you back.
Treatment Plan
Using proven treatment modalities, health practices, lifestyle changes, supplementation, and regenerative medicine, we’ll create a plan that is tailored to your specific needs, getting you on the path to feeling your best.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes nerve hydrodissection different from other treatments for nerve pain?
Most nerve treatments just mask the pain. Nerve hydrodissection actually targets the root of the problem by freeing the nerve from tissue that’s compressing it. Here in our Gilbert clinic, we use ultrasound to guide the treatment with exact precision. It’s not a temporary fix it’s designed to restore proper nerve function and reduce inflammation long-term.
Can nerve hydrodissection help with tingling and numbness in my arms or legs?
Yes, especially if those symptoms are coming from nerve entrapment or inflammation. Whether it’s sciatica, carpal tunnel, or chronic nerve irritation, hydrodissection can create space around the nerve and allow it to heal. We see this often in patients across the East Valley who’ve tried everything else with no relief.
How long does it take to feel results after nerve hydrodissection?
Many of our patients in Gilbert begin to notice relief within the first few days, while others may need a few sessions to experience full improvement. It depends on the severity and duration of your nerve issue. Because we customize the injectate whether it’s dextrose or PRP we tailor it to your body’s healing timeline.
Is nerve hydrodissection done under anesthesia or can I drive myself home?
You can absolutely drive yourself. The procedure is done right here in our clinic using local anesthetic and real-time ultrasound imaging. There’s no sedation or downtime required. Most patients return to their normal activities the same day, which is one reason people from all over Gilbert and Chandler prefer this over surgery.
In fact, some research has shown meaningful improvements lasting 5 to 10 years or more following stem cell treatment. Because stem cell therapy can help to repair tissue, rather than just masking symptoms, the results tend to be more durable than many conventional treatments.
We’ll monitor your progress closely after treatment and provide guidance on how to support and extend your results through movement, nutrition, and other supportive therapies.
Will insurance cover nerve hydrodissection, or is it out-of-pocket?
Coverage can vary, but we’ll walk you through everything before you start. If it’s not covered, we offer simple, transparent pricing — no surprises. Our team will explain your options so you can make the best decision for your health and budget.
