steering shaft colapsed

i installed a ragjoint eliminator on my steering shaft and when i went back to install it i noticed that i colapsed the shaft somehow. and i was wondering if i could just pull it out and reuse it or if i need to replace the shaft. the reason i ask is because i remember reading that if your car was in an acident and the shaft colapsed it should be replaced. well mine is colapsed but was never in an accident

Describe "collapsed". If you mean that the one shaft is able to slide in and out of the other shaft, this is normal and is used to adjust the U-joint position so as to clear the exhaust.