Whats the difference between severed nerves vs pinched nerves in spinal cord?
A pinched nerve is the result of external pressure on the nerve; the nerve is structurally intact, but the pressure interferes with the conduction of signals through the nerve fibers. The pressure on the nerve can come from surrounding anatomical structures, or it can be postural (leaning on your elbow can pinch the nerves there and cause temporary hand numbness). Treatment for pinched nerves consists of relieving the pressure on the nerve through postural changes, anti-inflammatory medication to reduce soft-tissue swelling, and/or surgery to remove compressing structures such as bone overgrowths. Recovery can take weeks or months but is usually complete unless the pressure has resulted in permanent damage to the nerve cells. In severed nerves, the nerve fibers have been completely disrupted. No signals can pass through a severed nerve, and until fairly recently it was thought that severed nerves could not be repaired. However, it turns out that much of this difficulty is the result of
