As someone who has dealt with chronic nerve disorders for the better part of a decade, I can tell you that numbness is preferable to raw chronic neuropathic pain.
Counter point from my perspective as someone with a sports related spinal injury is that pain is an essential proprioceptive device allowing me to keep active within the boundaries of my injury.
I'm not gonna say you're wrong, especially since of the two numbness does seem somewhat preferable, I wonder how much agreement you'd find from someone with leprosy.