Folks on this forum seem to regularly character symptoms as "nerve damage".
Nerves can be cut; they can be torn, or they can be compressed--that's about it.
In all instances, nerves work to heal themselves.
It is possible for a surgeon to cut a nerve in surgery--rare but possible. If so, feeling is immediately lost.
It is also possible to tear a nerve during distraction. However, nerves both stretch and grow by 1 mm per day; therefore, if you distract no more than 1 mm per day, it is almost impossible to tear a nerve.
In either case, the open ends of the nerve grow through soft tissue in order to find each other. Usually, the ends find each other.
Conceivably, if you cut or tear a nerve at the start of distraction; then, distract 3 inches, you could impede the ends from finding each other. Eventually, the open distal end of the nerve will die and permanent nerve loss will result.
HOWEVER, the usual nerve issue results from compression. Think about standing on a garden hose. Swollen tissue compresses the nerve and impairs transmission of the nerve signal. Take your foot of the hose and water flows.
When you begin to heal, swelling reduces and the nerve signal begins to flow more normally.
HOWEVER AGAIN, the impaired nerve signal may be blocking what would otherwise be a pain signal. That is, you are having more pain than you realize because compression is reducing your nerve's ability to carry a pain signal. When the nerve begins to work better, you feel more pain.
Stated simply, when nerves heal, you tend to go from numbness, to tingling, to pins and needles, to pain and burning; then, these symptoms recede in essentially the same order except that you have normal feeling rather than numbness at the end of the process which can take up to a couple of years.
Last, even understanding your body's healing process, it is important to continue to monitor your body and to consult with your MD.
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Topic: Burning sensation/pins and needles in leg - Nerve damage? (Read 1316 times)