United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

We were told by a BP expert that a stretched or compressed nerve will never regain anything that it has lost, only those that are cut(surgery) or ripped will heal. has anyone ever heard the same from their doctors?

Thanks
Beth

Beth in all my reading about how nerves heal and damage to them, I think either you heard wrong or the doctor had said this backwards. I first had nerve damage with the hernia surgery 18 months ago, where the doctor did 'something' to a branch of the femoral nerve into groin. I was left with a numb area and he swore that he didn't cut it, although it might be stretched. I have had periodic life to this nerve, some good, some not so good,like 10 days after the whiplash injury, the nerve decided to become painfully alive for a second.

He did say that some people have 24/7 pain instead of numbness, and sometimes they have to go back in and cut the nerve to stop the pain. In this case the nerve never heals. They would have to do a repair to the nerve, typically a graft. And there are no guarantees to this fix.
Wendy

Beth, I agree with Wendy. We took Dustin to Mayo and the BP team there. They said he has no avulsions or tears. Just stretch, they even went in to look anticipating more damage. So the best recovery would be if the nerves heal themselves. Which they are doing exceedingly slow. But, he has recovered quite a bit. When this all started 18 mos ago he had no movement at all. Now most areas are working although bicep is still very weak. He has had return of tricep, some shoulder, some lower arm, full hand, some pecs. I think if he had more bicep the arm would be somewhat functional.
Sue

hello i got a stretched BPI in September last year and am healing nicely. So your information is misleading