One study from 2016 found that this amino acid helped cancer patients with fatigue and peripheral sensory neuropathy caused by chemotherapy.Īcetyl-L-carnitine is available as a supplement, but you can also get it from meat, fish, dairy, and poultry products. It helps promote healthy nerve cell creation and higher energy levels while reducing pain.

The amino acid acetyl-L-carnitine also acts as an antioxidant. If supplements aren’t your thing, you can add foods to your diet that are rich in B vitamins, such as: B-6: Helps maintain healthy nerve endings.B-12: When B-12 levels are too low, it can cause permanent nerve damage.

B-1: Helps prevent cell damage while reducing pain and inflammation.Taking a B complex supplement is the simplest solution, but the most important B vitamins for nerve health are: One review from 2017 found that B vitamin supplements may help promote nerve repair. B vitamins play an important role in nerve function and health. Sometimes, peripheral nerve damage is caused by vitamin B deficiency. Creatine-fed mice had more robust nerve growth compared to those in the control group. Researchers found that, compared to the control group, mice that were fed creatine had increased axon regrowth after an injury. In one animal study, mice with spinal cord injuries were given creatine. Creatine is naturally produced by the liver, pancreas, and kidneys, but you can also get it from animal protein sources, like meat and fish.Ĭreatine fuels the cells in your body by increasing stored adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. It’s a natural substance created by three amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine. While it’s important to follow your doctor’s recommendations for treatment, there are some natural therapies that show promising results.Ĭreatine is one of the most popular and researched supplements for muscle strength and growth. Healing Damaged Nerves Using Natural Therapies The only way to reconnect to the muscle is through the surgical repair of the nerves, and even that has to happen within 12-18 months of the injury. After 18-24 months of inactivity, the nerve dies and can’t be reactivated. Motor nerves, however, do have a time limit for recovery. They can recover months or even years after an injury. After 4 weeks of rest, a severed nerve grows at a rate of about 1mm per day. If your nerve was cut, the process will take much longer. If you bruised – not cut – your nerves, healing may only take 6-12 weeks. Healing time will depend on a few things: As you can see, the regeneration process is complicated and lots of things can go wrong in the process. Some people heal faster or slower than others – and that’s okay. Like with any other type of injury, healing is different for everyone. Without it, Schwann cells wouldn’t move in an organized group and axons wouldn’t grow back properly. It all comes down to that important signal sent out by fibroblasts. It’s not a perfect process, but it works, and scientists are trying to find ways to improve it. These cords show axons the way, guiding them across the injured site. Schwann cells, following their orders, break up into cords (or clumps) and find their way out as a group. They enlist the help of fibroblasts, a type of cell that plays a role in wound healing.įibroblasts send out a signal telling Schwann cells to get to work. These cells can’t do all the work by themselves. These cells are wrapped around axons, and when there’s an injury, they get to work rebuilding the bridge. It requires both ends to find each other through damaged tissue.Ī special type of cells, called Schwann cells, play an important role in this process. Regrowing and reforming this connection is hard work. If a peripheral nerve gets cut, all of the axons below the injury start to degenerate. Their nucleus is in the spinal cord, and axons extend out to send nerve messages all the way down the leg (or other areas of the body). Peripheral nerves – the nerves that connect our organs and limbs to the central nervous system – have an amazing ability to regenerate themselves after an injury. Let’s look at how nerves heal themselves, how long damaged nerves take to heal, and what you can do to speed up the process. But here’s the good news: Healing damaged nerves is possible. It can be painful (or the opposite – completely numb), and it’s an ongoing battle. Most people with diabetes (70%) have some nerve damage.

An estimated 20 million Americans have some form of peripheral nerve damage.

Nerve endings