Do nerves grow back?

The Jammy dodger

Someone close to me had an operation on their neck for a biopsy on the limphnodes, in order to do this they had to cut some nerves to get at it. The Limphnodes I speak of are located on the left side of the neck.

This person after the operation was told that there will be numbness due to them having to cut through some nerves but never said whether or not they would grow back. I was wanting to know if anyone here knows if they will grow back and if so how long do you think it would take for these nerves to regenerate?

I understand that the CNS can be permanently damaged if cut but that the PNS cannot be. But are the nerves near the lymphnodes related to either CNS or PNS?

countrynosebag

i also, would like to know about nerve damage please.
in particular, when a brain injury manifests itself initially with the leg numbness and if it ever improves (10 years and still counting).
also if, after brain surgery if the nerves in the brain improve with things like memory and concentration - = right temporal lobe damage done.

Improbable

Assuming it was just sensory nerves that were cut and not anything major like the vagus nerve, the numbness will usually go away after a few months. Usually. It can be permenant though. The nerves involved are part of the PNS, not the CNS.

countrynosebag

anymore info welcome , if anyone has experiences and/or professional expertise
thank you

Crasp

In case of demyelination, remyelination is to be expected within weeks or 1-2 months, with complete clinical restitution. The internodal distances of the new myelin sheath are shorter than in the original, resulting in slower conduction velocity without clinical consequences.


In case of axonal damage, two types of regeneration are possible. If most of the axons of a nerve are damaged, proximo-distal axonal regeneration is the predominant type of regeneration. This means that axonal sprouting starts from the axon stumps at the site of lesion, which slowly grow towards the denervated areas. The preserved basal lamina / endoneurium of the damaged axons show the way for the regenerating axons. This is a slow process, its average rate is 1 mm/day. Knowing this value and the distance the regenerating nerve has to cover allows an estimation of the time needed for reinnervation and clinical recovery. For example, in case of a distal ulnar nerve lesion at the wrist, the reinnervation of small hand muscles located only a few centimeters away is expected already within a few months. On the other hand, in case of a sciatic nerve lesion at the gluteal region, the reinnervation of leg muscles may take – depending on height –up to 2-3 years.

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Tree

countrynosebag wrote: »

anymore info welcome , if anyone has experiences and/or professional expertise
thank you

Remember, this isn't a place for medical advice, but discussion on the biology of the nervous system is grand (even encouraged)

BrianDug

Nerve regeneration occurs at a rate of 1mm a day. Its a very slow process.

countrynosebag

sorry, tree