Has anyone heard of this? If it is true, then my nerves are trying to regenerate. Someone just needs to tell them that! 👣

"Cross your legs, left over right, then take your right hand and tap the left ankle bone, then the heel bone. There is a soft place between these bones. Extend your foot a little bit and tap that soft place—if there's tingling that goes into the bottom of the foot or the toes, that means the nerve is not normal. However, that tingling does mean that nerve fibers are trying to regenerate"

http://www.oprah.com/health/Peripheral-Neuropathy

The tingling is a tinel spot. There is another on the instep.

Tingling means typically compression.

There are spots on the wrist also, as well as the feet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-j6FFdAB0w

You can tap with a hard handle spoon or fork, a wooden spoon, and get better response.

The positive result doesn't really tell much, but would only tell that "something" is irritating the nerve. If someone were totally numb and then became positive for tinel's sign, that could indicate healing. But it often is used to demonstrate pathology of the nerve path.

In all of my neuro visits, this was not checked so I do not have a baseline but when I tap that area now, I experience extreme tingling and discomfort in my feet and toes.

Naturally, I had a moment of excitement when I read that it could indicate nerves trying to regenerate.

I use the Tinel's spots to put my Lidoderm patches or magnets.
If I have pain either in the feet or hands, usually one or the other puts this nerve to sleep. (blocking the sodium channels manually or chemically).

I have much more of an issue with my left foot... that is my old surgical foot that gives me grief. It used to swell up alot with the old lisinopril (drug induced lupus), but has been much better lately since I switched out from that drug.
I have X-ray verification of spurring too of it. Sometimes my left ankle will throb in the night in that Tinel location. But that luckily is temporary, and moving the foot will sometimes stop it.

I think it is difficult to assume what the discomfort is. But it does show the doctors that you are "not making it up" at least.(since we know that some doctors don't believe PNers very much)