text: Spared nerve injury (transection of the common peroneal and 
  tibial branches of 
  the sciatic nerve; SNItrans) and common 
  peroneal and tibial crush injury (SNIcrush), in which nerve axons 
  were severed but 
  the epineurium remained intact, were 
  performed as previously described.12 Anesthesia was induced 
  with 3% to 5% isoflurane and then maintained at 1.5% to 2% as 
  required. Analgesia, consisting of carprofen (10 mg/kg) and 
  buprenorphine (0.05 mg/kg) (Glasgow) or carprofen (5 mg/kg) 
  and local bupivacaine (2 mg/kg) (Oxford) was provided perioper- 
  atively. The left hindpaw was secured with tape in hip abduction, 
  and the operative field (lateral surface of the thigh) was shaved. 
  Ophthalmic ointment was applied to the eyes, and the shaved 
  area was swabbed with chlorhexidine solution. A longitudinal 
  incision was made in the skin at the lateral mid-thigh. Using blunt 
  dissection, an opening was made through the biceps femoris, 
  exposing the sciatic nerve and the 3 peripheral branches (sural, 
  tibial, and common peroneal nerves). For SNItrans, the common 
  peroneal and tibial nerves were ligated using a 6-0 Vicryl suture 
  (Ethicon, Raritan, NJ), and a 1- to 2-mm piece distal to the suture 
  was removed using spring scissors. For SNIcrush, the exposed 
  tibial and common peroneal nerves were clamped using a pair of 
  fine hemostats (Fine Science Tools, Heidelberg, Germany) closed 
  leaving the nerve branches intact but 
  to their second clip, 
  translucent. The muscle was closed with one 6-0 Vicryl suture 
  (Ethicon), and the skin incision was closed with one 10 mm 
  wound clip (Alzet, Cupertino, CA). Animals were monitored daily 
  for self-mutilation, and no animals required sacrifice due to tissue 
  damage. 