Electrical Therapy Offers New Hope for Nerve Injury Patients

When nerves are damaged from accidents, surgery, or disease, they don't heal as well as most people think. Colin Franz, MD, PhD, a researcher studying peripheral nerve injuries and recipient of the 2025 American Neuromuscular Foundation Mid-Career/Established Researcher Grant, explains that while nerves can regrow somewhat on their own, "it's not nearly as good as advertised." Some patients experience such severe weakness or pain that they've even asked about limb amputation.

Dr. Franz's research focuses on a promising solution: therapeutic electrical stimulation. Think of it as "priming a pump" – giving damaged nerves a brief boost of electrical energy (sometimes just minutes or hours) to jumpstart their natural healing process. This technique has already shown success in clinical trials when used around the time of nerve surgery, helping patients achieve more consistent and superior recovery.

The approach is particularly exciting because it translates directly from laboratory studies to human patients using the same dosing that worked in mice and rats. However, Dr. Franz has discovered that genetics play a crucial role – about one in four people carry a gene variant that interferes with the treatment's effectiveness.

His current research aims to develop personalized treatments based on individual genetic makeup, ensuring each patient receives the exact right therapy for their specific situation. This precision medicine approach could help restore both function and mobility while reducing the chronic pain that often accompanies nerve injuries.

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