Nerve Injury After Cesarean Section

It is impossible to have any surgical procedure (including a c-section) without cutting into some nerves. However, nerve injury after cesarean section is rare. In most cases, the nerves heal without any lasting effects. When nerve injury after cesarean section does not heal, this is called nerve damage. It can be short-term or long-term, and symptoms include loss of feeling in the skin or difficulty controlling muscles.

C-Section Complications

Nerve Injury After Cesarean Section: An Overview

Your brain and spinal cord help control all of your actions and how your body works.

They control things like walking, breathing, and speaking by sending signals to every part of your body through nerves. Nerves also carry signals back to the brain from organs like your eyes and ears to tell you what you are seeing and hearing. Nerves are very thick closer to your brain and spinal cord. But as they get farther away from the brain, they continue to branch and become very small and thin.

Because nerves near your skin are so small, it is impossible to have a cesarean section and not cut them. There is rarely any nerve injury after cesarean section, and nerves often heal along with your skin. However, sometimes, nerves are cut and they do not heal. This is called nerve damage. In some cases, the nerve damage can affect a large part of your body; in other cases, it only affects a small area. It might only last for a short time, or it might last the rest of your life. The symptoms it can cause include:

Loss of feeling in your skin
Pain in muscles, bones, or skin
Difficulty in controlling muscles.

The symptoms often go away over time, but in some cases, additional surgery may be needed.