Neuroinflammation and its role in precision physiotherapy for patients with entrapment neuropathies

Compression neuropathies are the most common cause for nerve-related pain. Even though Physiotherapy is the recommended treatment, research suggests only modest benefits. I will explore whether the detection of nerve-inflammation could be used to develop precision physiotherapy (direct the right treatments to the right patients). I will first characterise the molecular and cellular components of nerve-inflammation and their relationship to symptoms in tissues of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and Morton's neuroma (nerve, skin, tendon-sheath and blood). I will also determine whether advanced neuroimaging (MR neurography) can be used to detect nerve-inflammation. I will then investigate whether physiotherapy exercises can reduce nerve-inflammation in patients with CTS by performing MR neurography before and after physiotherapy or control interventions. My project will discover more about the biology of nerve-inflammation, and may revolutionise its clinical detection. Importantly, my findings will facilitate the development of precision physiotherapy, thus decreasing suffering and healthcare costs.