Pinched Nerve

The lay term "pinched nerve" is used to describe the pain or impaired function of a nerve under pressure. The medical term for pinched nerve is nerve root compression.

A pinched nerve usually occurs in nerves extending down the arms and legs, in your feet, between spinal disks, or the nerve which travels from your spine to your foot - in nerves that control muscle movements or relay sensations to our brains. Nerves passing over bones are particularly vulnerable, and pressure on a peripheral nerve from the surrounding tissue may cause inflammation, resulting in a pinched nerve.

Your first indication of a pinched nerve may be a tingling sensation, numbness, "burning" sensation or shooting pain through the affected limb, such as carpal tunnel, and pain or sensation is often distant from the pressure point of the pinched nerve. For example, a pinched nerve in the lower back could be causing pain in the calf and nowhere else.

When there is nerve damage from constant pressure on a pinched nerve, pain and weakness may increase, there may be a loss of reflexes, movement skills, sensation in the affected area, and withering (atrophying) of the affected muscles if the pinched nerve is not assessed and rectified quickly.

You will know you have a pinched nerve when you feel pain that extends down either your leg or your arm, and usually it will heal itself in a few days to a week, with treatment but, chronic cases of a pinched nerve can lead to permanent problems so it is important to receive treatment for your pinched nerve as soon as possible.

A pinched nerve is not pleasant for anyone and of course, not all pain as described here is the result of a pinched nerve, so professional assessment is crucial in all cases of pain or discomfort.

A pinched nerve can be caused by many factors - simply sleeping the wrong way causing nerve injury around the neck and shoulders; injury from sporting activities; lifting incorrectly; pregnancy; bulging disks in the spine; arthritis; abnormal bone growth (such as a bone spur); using crutches; prolonged incorrect posture; tumours; compression of a nerve in the neck, wrist or elbow; contact sports; lifting incorrectly or obesity.

Repairing damage from a pinched nerve may be as simple as visiting a chiropractor for assessment and treatment by way of simple realignment, gentle manipulation of the muscles and nerves in the affected area, or a series of simple exercises. Many people don't realise how simple repairing a pinched nerve may be and sometimes they prolong assessment and treatment, suffering unnecessary pain and immobility.

Locating a professional chiropractor nearest you is as easy as going suing this find a chiro service and typing in your postcode or suburb and choosing from a list of practitioners.

Whatever is causing your pinched nerve pain, visiting a chiropractor will help you ^ref  find out the cause, possibly allowing you to resume your regular activities and enjoying life pain free!

See what you get when you buy a complete chiropractic check up voucher.  You will get the chiropractors' details emailed straight to you.