Hey everyone, this is my first post here, sorry if it is a little lengthy.

I'll try to get right to the point. Back in April, I was playing a game of pool with my friends. I was taking a tricky shot and one of my friends decided she needed to distract me (don't ask me why, she's crazy). She did so by slamming her pool stick on my right big toe and holding it down there for several seconds; I grabbed her stick after I made the shot.

The strange thing is, it didn't hurt that much when she slammed the stick on my toe. After a few days though, I was feeling my toe and noticed that the left side of it felt really numb. I was certain that it had to do with what my friend did. I have searched for months on information on nerve damage and even saw a podiatrist back in July. He said that I have compression neuopathy and that it would take 6-9 months to heal. It has almost been 9 months and I'm starting to worry that the damage might be permanent. Also, I have started taking tablets of Vitamin B12 after reading about its healing abilities.

My question: Does anyone here have any experience with nerve damage caused by trauma and know how long it usually takes to heal? The thought of not feeling my toe for the rest of my life is starting to scare me.

Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

Is there anybody out there?

No saying as to whether it will ever heal...nerves are tricky. As for the friend, I would consider 'unfriending' her.

Yes, the more I read about nerve damage, the more pessimistic I become. I have definitely considered unfriending her, it's just difficult since she is dating my best friend at college. If I unfriended her, I would pretty much be exiled by most of my friends.

Can't count the number of times I've wished that I could go back to that day and just grab her damn pool stick to stop her. The worst part is, whenever I bring it up, she completely ignores it and acts like it's no big deal...I'm beginning to suspect she's a sociopath. Sorry to sound whiny, I just don't have many outlets to express my frustration and this is a very emotionally taxing subject.

Hi Kvan, Welcome to the site. It is so hard to say whether nerve damage from injury can be permanent. I wish I could tell you exactly when or if the numbness will subside, but I can't. Does it cause pain in your toe or numbness? If it is painful there are things you can take for it. Mrs. D would be able to help you with the natural remedies. Look at some of the stickies and see if there is anything there that may be helpful.

As for the friend, not sure I can give any advice on that. Not sure what the circumstances are and don't want to give advice that may not be the correct thing to do.

Good luck with everything. Let us know how you make out.
Hopeful

Thanks for your reply. The toe is just constantly numb; there is only pain after I walk for a long time or play a sport. I stupidly went for a run one time over the summer and my entire foot was in pain for the next two days. I'm taking 5 tablets of B12 each day, but I just started that a week ago, so it might be too late. Guess I'll get a nerve conduction test over winter break, and maybe some surgery will be in order.

I have a crushed big toe...the right one. A huge boulder rolled out of a wall we were fixing and smashed it.

It turned black, and I lost the nail. It had 2 hairline fractures in the Xray, and I wore a special shoe for a while with it.

The result is that 1/2 of that toe is now numb mostly. But it does not affect my walking that I can tell. Sometimes it prickles, but mostly it is numb. If I flex it in bed it stabs and hurts. Nothing to be done about it...it was crushed. It may grow back, but it has been at least 5 yrs now. Peripheral nerves are supposed to grow back eventually. The severed ones in my surgical left foot did, but it was about 20yrs for that to happen.
Now it hurts occasionally instead of being numb.(instep where you tie your shoes). I can not wear many types of shoes now that hit that spot.

The feet are very slow to heal, if they do. You might try taping that toe to its neighbor, and see if that helps you walk.

You might soak often in epsom salts, as the magnesium may help the nerve heal. But no guarantees. If it starts to hurt all of a sudden, or tingle, that may be a sign the nerves are reconnecting.

That made me feel a little more optimistic, thank you!

I'll be sure to give the epsom salts a shot. I occasionally get tingling feelings in the numb part, but the normal feeling is yet to return. Thanks so much for your help, everyone! I will try to put this in the back of my mind as much as possible now and hope for the best.

That would be a real red flag for me; I personally would have to re-evaluate exactly what I would expect out of someone I'd call "friend".

I was reading that same phrase and wondering if it weren't indicative of feelings of guilt, but not being there to read the body language, it's really hard to tell how to interpret...

Doc