Nerve Damage from a Dog Bite Injury

Our skin protects the hand’s inner structures, but it cannot withstand the force of a dog bite. An average dog bite has a strength of about 269 pounds of pressure. The bigger the breed, the stronger the bite force, and the more damage it can do.

Its teeth could easily rip through the skin and reach the inner structures, tearing muscles and tendons, arteries and veins, and even nerves. The bite is so strong it could even reach the bones and break it.

A dog bite can cause extensive hand injuries that can take several surgeries to fix them. The surgeries become even more complicated and expensive should the dog bite sever nerves and damage the arteries and veins.

When there is a noxious stimulus like pain from a sharp object, the nerves transmit the pain signal until it reaches the brain. The brain will then send back a signal that tells our extremity to move away from the sharp object. After the stimulus has passed, everything will go back to normal, and the sensation of pain stops.

When a dog bites into an arm, for example, the pain will immediately be felt. The sensation of pain will persist until after the tissues have healed. Unfortunately, if the dog bite severed the nerves, it will affect the way they normally function. Instead of the pain going away when the tissues finally heal, it will persist. Not only will there be pain felt in the areas supplied by the damaged nerves, but there could also be motor problems like muscle weakness and even paralysis because of interrupting transmission of signals.

A severe dog bite can damage not only the nerves but also affect the  way they function. Affectation of the sensory nerves could lead to persistent pain, tingling and prickling sensations, and numbness in all the areas they supply. Likewise, affectation of the motor nerves could lead to weakness of all the muscles they supply. If the motor nerve was totally severed, it could even lead to paralysis of the muscles.

To determine the severity of the nerve damage, nerve conduction velocity, and electromyography tests are done. NCV checks the sensory nerves, while EMG checks the motor nerves.

Treatment of nerve damage from dog bites include surgery to repair the damage, pain and anti-inflammatory medications, antibiotics, and rest to promote wound healing and nerve regeneration. Physical therapy may also be ordered to preserve the range of motion and prevent muscle atrophy.

Dog bites, as mentioned earlier, are very powerful. The breed that has the strongest bite force is the Mastiff at over 500 psi. The Rottweiler has a bite force of 328 psi, the German Shepherd at 238 psi, and American Pit Bull Terrier at 235 pounds.

That is a lot of force. If the strength in their jaw muscles could break any tough and hard objects like animal bones, imagine how easy it would be for a dog to bite through the human skin, tear into the muscles, and break the bones.

Dog bites can do extensive damage to extremities, resulting in severe pain and temporary or permanent loss of sensory and motor functions. It can even cause post-traumatic stress syndrome with anxiety and depression. All these can affect the quality of your life as well as your personal, social, and professional life.