Releasing a Pinched Nerve

A pinched nerve can strike at any time, including as you sleep. Patients will wake up with the feeling of pain or tightness at a nerve point or they will feel a sudden and sharp stabbing pain when moving. This indicates that a peripheral nerve is compressed, which can cause chronic pain, loss of range of motion, numbness, tingling, weakness and more. Some nerves can cause you pain for weeks or months on end. However, with effective treatments such as chiropractic care, massage therapy and anti-inflammatory injections, you can be feeling better in no time. Don’t spend your days in pain. Learn what you can do to release a pinched nerve and get back to your life!

What Do Our Nerves Do?

You have a nervous system comprised of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves that go throughout every part of your body. This system is a collection of nerves and specialized cells designed to transmit signals to your brain from different parts of the body. Those signals could tell you if something is hot or cold, if something is painful or feels good, and basically if you have feeling in a certain part of your body or not. The nerves allow us to feel and interpret the world around us. Some say that the nervous system is the body’s electrical wiring.

The central nervous system is the brain, spinal cord and nerves as we mentioned. There is also a peripheral nervous system that consists of nerve fibers and neurons throughout the body. Those neurons (basically messengers for the body) send signals to your cells when you interpret light, sound, and touch, and also tell your brain what is happening. There are an estimated 95-100 billion neurons or nerve cells in the body. Much of what we learn about our environment can be attributed to neurons sending messages to nerve fibers, which sends messages to our brain.

Do You Have a Pinched Nerve?

When a nerve gets compressed (squished basically), then you won’t receive the right signals to your brain. You will know that you have a compressed nerve because you will experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• Shooting pain that radiates down a limb
• Weakness
• Loss of reflex or reaction that you once had
• Numbness and tingling, most commonly in the hands and feet
• Loss of coordination and fine movement control in the hands and feet
• Pain in the area of the nerve or in a completely different area of the body
• Loss of feeling to an area of the body.

Pinpointing a nerve can be tricky in some patients. Some feel pain in one area, but the nerve is in another part of the body. That is also an indication that there is a compressed nerve somewhere that is cutting off signals to another part of the body. Neurons can’t communicate with nerve fibers correctly, and so the brain starts to interpret symptoms in the body that weren’t there before.

Common Causes and Risks

A pinched nerve can stem from an accident or trauma to the body. However, it can also come about from simple movements such as stretching for something. We have found that there are a few common causes in many patients:

• Ligament or tendon misalignment, which causes added pressure to a nerve
• Fractures, sprains, and other injuries that cause inflammation, which in turn compresses a nerve
• Bulging or herniated discs that compress nerves
• Dysfunction or misalignment of the cervical spine
• Scarring of the nerve tissue due to injury, illness, or surgery
• Tennis Elbow, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or other repetitive motions that damage nerve fibers

These are only a few of the common causes. Whatever the cause, you never want to simply ignore a pinched nerve. If compression is severe, it can interfere with the function of a major nerve root, which can affect other parts of the body. Swelling of a nerve can cause the surrounding tissue to develop fluid buildup, which can cause many problems in the body. You will start to have worsening pain and more and more symptoms will develop. If you let the problem persist too long, you could be stuck with permanent pain, scarring or damage to your nerve fibers. You may also be stuck with permanent loss of feeling (numbness) to an area of the body.

Releasing a Pinched Nerve

Don’t sit on a pinched nerve! Get help today through soothing rehabilitative therapies. We have highly effective chiropractic care that focuses on the musculoskeletal system of the body. We can correct back and body misalignments and release your pinched nerve if your issues stem from spinal dysfunction. Massage therapy is also effective for relieving swelling and releasing pressure that is irritating your nerve.

If you compress nerves often, we can help you change your routine to eliminate repetitive movements and strain. With all of our therapies, we focus on natural solutions that are effective and help you avoid medications or surgeries.

Get Help Today!

Most people don’t like any added pressure in life, so why allow added pressure to any part of your body? Nobody has to live with the pain and symptoms of a pinched nerve, as this problem is easily correctable in many patients. If you believe you have a pinched nerve, call our Texas Spine & Sports Therapy Center at (512) 806-0015 and get on the path to a pain-free life today!