A neuroma can be painful and cause an electrical feeling when touched. To fix a cut nerve, the insulation around both ends of the nerve are sewn together. If a wound is dirty or crushed, your physician may wait to fix the nerve until the skin has healed. This may cause permanent loss of feeling in the area where the nerve graft was taken. Once the nerve cover is fixed, the nerve generally begins to heal three or four weeks after the injury.
Nerves usually grow one inch every month depending on the patient's age and other factors.
This means that with an injury to a nerve in the arm above the fingertips, it may take up to a year before feeling returns to the fingertips. The feeling of pins and needles in the fingertips is common during the recovery process. While this can be uncomfortable, it usually passes and is a sign of recovery. The patient must do several things to keep up muscle activity and feeling while waiting for the nerve to heal. Your doctor may recommend therapy to keep joints flexible.