Pinched Nerve

What is a pinched nerve?

A pinched nerve happens when a nerve that originates near your spine becomes pinched by a bone, ligament, muscle, or intervertebral disc. Nerves can also be pinched by muscles at other parts of your body, such as your shoulders, wrists, hips, and knees. When a nerve is pinched, it prevents the nerve form sending and receiving signals to and from the brain, so you experience a range of related symptoms.

What are the signs of a pinched nerve?

Symptoms of a pinched nerve can come and go depending on how your nerve is pinched and how severe the pressure on your nerve has become. Possible signs of a pinched nerve include:

• Numbness and tingling
• Sharp, shooting pain
• Pain that extends from the neck into the arms
• Pain that extends from the midback around the rib cage
• Pain that extends from the lower back to the legs
• Weakness in and poor coordination of the arms, hands, legs, or feet

Symptoms tend to become worse when a pinched nerve is stretched. Movements, like bending your head side to side and touching your toes, can aggravate pinched nerves in your neck and lower back, respectively.

What causes a pinched nerve?

Since pinched nerves can show up anywhere along the pathway of a nerve, it’s possible to have one or more causes of your discomfort, depending on where the nerve is pinched. Common causes of pinched nerves include:

• Herniated discs
• Piriformis syndrome
• Thoracic outlet syndrome
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Cubital tunnel syndrome
• Pronator teres syndrome
• Spinal stenosis
• Arthritis

Inflammation and swelling around an injury can also cause soft tissues to swell and compress your nerve, causing local pain due to the injury along with nerve pain that can cause symptoms anywhere along the length of the nerve.

How are pinched nerves treated?

Treatment for pinched nerves depends on their cause. At River Oaks Chiropractic Clinic, the team focuses on relieving pressure on the nerves and reducing any associated inflammation or swelling in the area that might be aggravating your symptoms.

Possible treatment approaches include:

• Chiropractic adjustments
• Soft tissue therapy or massage
• Spinal decompression
• Acupuncture
• Hot and cold therapy
• Rehabilitation stretches and exercises

Nerve pain tends to heal more slowly than joint and muscle pain, so the team outlines what to expect during your recovery so you know how many visits you’ll need to get there.

Don’t suffer from the pain of a pinched nerve. Call River Oaks Chiropractic Clinic or book an appointment online today.