Stiff/Tightness in lower lip-chin post op 1year 2months

[Rico]

Check if you have for sure 100% of feelling, not 99% or little less.
How ?
take something thin barely cold  (for example mini-jack end) and check by gentle touch on the both side how you feel it - if this is exactly the same feeling

also take a sharp pin. Touch gently, then harder on both side.
If during these "tests" you feel kinda different feeling (even a little) especially somethin like pinch or itching (more then on the healthy side) then you have problem with nerve function

The other side I mean left / right part of the lip or upper / lower lip. Dependently on which nerve was affected

HINT: If You tense up your lips during these tests, then any distirbuance in feeling will be more noticeable

Please give me feedback, what you noticed

[aj08229]

Hey rico thanks alot for the reply . i checked my feelings with the test you described . when i touch on my lower lip/chin with something barely cold it just feels sort of normal on both sides .no itching sensations or pinch . same with the sharp pin but when i scratch it on the surface of my chin it feels as though there is some layer above the tissues .it feels different and stiff as i mentioned earlier .when i am outside in cold it gets more stiffer and sometimes hard to move my lower lip .i can talk by moving lips but it feels  stuck near that area .
   I just met my surgeon today and what he says is there is nothing wrong with it and everything looks fine for him. but i do feel it all the time .as far the sensations when i touch my lip i can feel the touch but still this sensation of frozen/stiff lip bothers me time to time . i dont know where to go from here to cure it , please help me.thank you

[aj08229]

jawbreakerbeach , i dont really know whether it is numbness ,when i touch my lower lip or chin i could feel it ,but this stiffness bothers me mostly when it is cold  my surgeon does not understand it , i am just out of options to deal with this

[LoveofScotch]

This is a really basic suggestion, but have you tried a hot pack (or something like that)? It's obviously not going to cure anything, but it may at least make it feel a little better. If the stiffness gets worse when it's cold out I would give it a try.

Sorry you're still having this problem, aj08229.

[Rico]

Surgeons in such sitation often can't do nothing and they do not want to do anything, because the situation is very unclear. Any surgical procedure may makes problem worse.

For me it looks like 95%-99% of nerve function. Typical for this is that you can feel something like extra thin foil (additional layer) on the skin when you touch very very gently..gently move your finger-nail on the skin...
Do you feel something like this ? Very Slight compression possible (by any device, tissue, or bone) or just permanet damage. The nerve could not gain its 100% function.
However compression should gave a little hypersensitivity (not always), for example when you scratch affected area you could feel more pain... The slight painin such situation may also occour without reason

Also typical for this can be a situation, when you move your nail ( gently touch) on the affected skin, you can feel the whole affected area. Something like you touch here and you feel also a few milimiter / centimeters s futher away. Do you feel something like this ?

I have slight compression of a nerve (i know there is compression for 99%) and I have very good feeling like you, but I feel there is something wrong..like lack 1-5% of function
it is very subtle and hard to describe. You are sensible like me for such slight hyposathesia and you are focused on that. You feel it constantly. I have very slight hypoasthesia (barely detectable) and hyperasthesia (including slight pain). I'm gonna have surgery without any gurantee it will help. Probably not - too much time passed away. Fortunately most surgeons tell me that my nerve can be relatively easily to release causing only minor damage to the nerve. Minor damage gives a lot of chance the nerve will regenerate at least to the point as it was before surgery. Of course there is low chance (but possible) that surgeon may damage the nerve severly

any mini plates there ?
Perhaps little scar on tissue on the course of nerve.
Try to do a lot of massages. If this is scar issue, then perhaps somehow it will help.

For how long nothing has changed ? I mean how many weeks / months ago you felt last improvement ?
Last thing you can try is long acting cortisteroid injection near the nerve. I felt improvement after such procedure. But in my case it was performed due to hypersensitivity, to check what happen.

Consider also laser therapy

[aj08229]

@LoveofScotch yes hot packs give temporary feeling of normal lip/chin but its temporary .thank you for the suggestion
@Rico yes i could feel the slightest touch , when i scratch around the affected area i dont feel any pain but it feels like having one more layer above the skin and generally it is stiff (more in cold)
   one thing i noticed when i touch near back of my teeth on lower palate when i press there i get a sensation near the front lower lip and same way when i press front lower palate i feel some nerves from the front of my chin pressed . though i dont have much of pain it is just stiffness and uncomfortable to talk sometimes (moving the lower lip)
  i have my plates removed almost 6 months ago, i am 1year 5months post op. ,the improvment of numbness was noticable till 8-9 months then there might me slow improvments hard to notice and the feeling i am describing continues
        what does releasing of nerves mean? i would definately try for any alternative solution because i am sure living with this feeling for rest of my life is not easy , what i am feeling might be hypersensivity too , what are it's symptoms? and can you tell me the procedure of cortisteroid injection that you described and whom should i consult for that ?
      Thanks alot for helping me with such helpful responses i have hope the things you are explaning would play a big role for the cure , please inbox me your full name i can catch you up on facebook . thanks alot

[Rico]

So now it is clear your nerve has very limited loss of function. I mean kinda 90 - 95% of normal function

Releasing a nerve means to decompress it, but you have to know if you have it compressed. Nerve can be compressed , for example by a bone or some scarr tissue.
Generally if you had at least 50% of feeling after surgery, then perhaps there is little chance, that the nerve still has some small ability for further recover, because there is little chance that something blocks a litle of nerve function.
But if your feeling after surgery was very poor, then the nerve was damaged more severly and your nerve just could not restore its 100% function. At this point you can't do nothing

Probably no surgeon tells you if you have nerve compressed, but you can try to consult... nothing too lose
you can take laser therapy
eventually cortisteroid injection near the nerve foramen if the canal is not very long... this is sometimes performed if there is compression suspected. Sometimes compression causes inflammation which affects nerve function, but since you do not have any pain, the compression is unlike, but possible...even if the nerve has not recovered due to compression, now it is probably too late. Additionally if a nerve is compressed somewhere in lower jaw or anywhere inside a long bone - then probably nooone will touch this. Not clear situation, and surgery may make it worse.

you can try some things I metioned, but to be honest you have very low chances that something will help
If you are so sensitive to nerves damages you nerver should have had any surgery
Now, for 90% your condition is permanent. But check some last options, nothing to loose

[aj08229]

i am sort of sure the nerves are compressed , because when i pull my lower lip with my hand i feel some tightness ,and one or two nerves feel like they wont strech any further and gives kind of sharp pain ,it is like one nerve on the left and other on right and few between that feel this way . can you please tell me right treatment option for this ? does laser involves risk too? waiting for your reply

[aj08229]

and does poor job with incisions and stitches could lead to this?

[jusken]

and does poor job with incisions and stitches could lead to this?

I'm a little interested in this as well.   What exactly is the stiffness feeling?  It must be the restitching/scar tissue.  It's like if you re-hemmed a pair of jeans or something.  I guess that means it can't really be improved in any way?

My problem definitely isn't a nerve problem, though I'd say I have like 5% permanent numbness.

[aj08229]

It feels heavy on the lower lip and sometimes hard to mobilize that is how i can define my condition

[Rico]

My problem definitely isn't a nerve problem, though I'd say I have like 5% permanent numbness.

definetely it is a nerve problem. Especially If after surgery You had significant (huge) loss of feeling , then the nerve just has not restored its 100% function

[jusken]

definetely it is a nerve problem. Especially If after surgery You had significant (huge) loss of feeling , then the nerve just has not restored its 100% function

Sorry, to clarify, the numbness (which I understand is a problem with the nerve) isn't MY problem.  Though it is very slightly numb, the real problem is the stiffness, which I believe has to do with complex nature of the chin surgery and restitching the gums afterwards.

I have scheduled an appointment next week to talk to my surgeon about removing a couple plates around my nose, and I'll ask about this as well.  It wasn't mentioned as a complication of the surgery, and I hear people complaining about it all over the place.

[aj08229]

Sorry, to clarify, the numbness (which I understand is a problem with the nerve) isn't MY problem.  Though it is very slightly numb, the real problem is the stiffness, which I believe has to do with complex nature of the chin surgery and restitching the gums afterwards.

I have scheduled an appointment next week to talk to my surgeon about removing a couple plates around my nose, and I'll ask about this as well.  It wasn't mentioned as a complication of the surgery, and I hear people complaining about it all over the place.

Is the stiffness more when it is cold weather ? are you trying any therapy or medications for it ? do let us know what your surgeon says about it hope we figure this out together

[jusken]

Surgeon said the problem is likely the plate on my chin immediately under my lower lip and how the tissue is connected there.  My fear is that removing this could make things worse even though the surgeon is confident it is the problem.

Do you have a plate on your chin too aj?