Pinched Nerve - Causes, Symptoms And Treatment. What To Do If A Nerve Is Pinched?

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Causes, symptoms and treatment of a pinched nerve

Content:

• Symptoms of a pinched nerve
• Causes of a pinched nerve
• What to do if a nerve is pinched?
• Treating a pinched nerve
• Preventing a pinched nerve

What is a pinched nerve?

A pinched nerve occurs when the nerve roots that extend from the spinal cord are compressed by neighboring vertebrae or other "obstacles", including hernias, spasmodic muscles, tendons, cartilage, tumors, protrusion.

A pinched nerve is always accompanied by severe pain (stabbing, burning, shooting). There are many forms of pinching, but the most common are pinching of the cervical and sciatic nerves.

Depending on the location of the pinched nerve and the location of the pain, sciatica (pain in the sacrum, buttock, back of the leg), lumboischialgia (pain in the lower back, buttock, back of the leg), lumbodynia (pain in the lower back and back), cervicobrachialgia (pain in neck and arm) and cervicalgia (neck pain).

It is important to consider that a person experiencing an acute attack of pain may additionally suffer from numbness of a certain muscle group, from organ dysfunction. This is influenced by which of the nerves was pinched. It is necessary to distinguish between the clamping of the sensory, autonomic and motor nerves. When the first of them suffers, the person turns to the doctor because of a severe attack of pain that cannot be endured. When the last two types of nerves are pinched, medical care is often delayed, which is fraught with the development of serious complications.

Symptoms of a pinched nerve

Symptoms of a pinched nerve directly depend on the location of the pinched nerve. Affects the manifestation of the disease and the inflammatory process (if present), the causes of pinching and its duration (degree).

The main symptom is sharp pain in the pinched area (lower back, neck, back, arm or leg) and limited movement. Severe cases of pinching of the cervical, sciatic, or vertebral nerves can compress the spinal cord, impair motor function and sensitivity of the limbs, and cause paresis or paralysis.

Signs of a pinched nerve and its endings will vary depending on what caused the condition. Also, the severity and nature of symptoms is influenced by what functions the nerve is responsible for and where it is located.

Therefore, the following signs of pinching can be distinguished:

• A pinched sciatic nerve or a nerve in the lower back (sciatica) is manifested by a burning sensation and tingling sensation that radiates to the leg. She, in turn, becomes inactive, and in a standing position a person feels a shooting pain. In the presence of a hernia or prolapse, the pain becomes more intense and sharp. If the pinched nerve becomes inflamed, they speak of radiculitis. Often a pinched nerve in the lower back can be caused by excess weight, because it is the lumbar region that accounts for the bulk of the body. When an intervertebral hernia or an exacerbation of osteochondrosis becomes the cause of pinching, herbal medicine and therapeutic exercises are recommended, and manual therapy is excluded.
• When the cervical nerve is pinched, the neck muscles are tense. The pain increases significantly if a person tries to turn his head or, on the contrary, holds it in the same position for a long time (during sleep, during prolonged sitting, etc.) Intervertebral discs or cervical vertebrae can pinch the cervical nerve in case of osteochondrosis, subluxation or prolapse (protrusion). Massage and manual therapy are best suited for the treatment of such a pinching, which can relieve a person of pain and restore the normal anatomical position of the intervertebral discs.
• If the sensory nerve is damaged, then the person experiences pain of varying intensity. It can have a burning, shooting, stabbing character. It can appear paroxysmal, or it can be present constantly.

• When a nerve is compressed in the thoracic region, a person suffers from intercostal neuralgia. If the vegetative part of the nervous system is subjected to compression in the same place, then patients often complain of heart pain. To distinguish a pinched nerve from heart disease, you should pay attention to the nature of the pain. As a rule, with intercostal neuralgia, they are present on an ongoing basis, do not subside either during rest or during active pastime. An increase in symptoms occurs when trying to feel the space between the ribs and perform trunk movements.
• In the event that the sciatic nerve is transmitted, patients complain of pain in the lower back, which radiates to the lower extremities, buttocks and can reach the heels.
• When the radial nerve suffers, the person is unable to straighten and bend the arm, the fingers are bent, and the hand hangs limply. Symptoms vary from site to site.
• When the ulnar nerve is compressed, the sensitivity of the fingers and hand is disturbed. Blood circulation suffers, pain is given to the little finger.
• Often, no matter which nerve is affected, the compression site becomes swollen, red, and painful.
• Muscle cramps and weakness at the site of pinching. Tingling sensation.

Symptoms characterizing a pinched nerve tend to worsen during a night's rest. The same thing happens with a strong cough, laughing, sneezing, and even just with increased excitement. With numbness of the limbs, the pain may fade somewhat. Hypothermia, on the contrary, leads to increased painful sensations.

Causes of a pinched nerve

Most often, a pinched nerve occurs due to an exacerbation of osteochondrosis (degeneration of the cartilage of the intervertebral discs): the gap between the vertebrae narrows and the nerve branches are pinched. Hypertonicity (spasm) of muscles only aggravates the pathological process, giving a person even greater discomfort.

When spasmodic muscles pinch nerves, blood vessels are affected as well. This not only causes pain, but also impairs blood circulation, the functioning of internal organs and the brain. If the pinching lasts for a long time, nerve tissue may die off and the sensitivity of certain parts of the body and skin areas may disappear. Sometimes the pinched nerve can become inflamed. In particular, this happens with radiculitis.

Other causes of a pinched nerve include:

• An awkward movement too fast and too harsh.
• A sharp load on any part of the spine, after a long stay at rest.
• Any kind of injury - bruises, falls, dislocations, fractures, subluxations, etc.
• Spine defects, congenital and acquired character.
• Recovery period after any operation.
• Hormonal disorders.
• Diseases of an infectious nature.
• Osteochondrosis of the spine and complications of this disease, such as hernia and protrusion of the discs.
• Muscle spasm due to many reasons.
• Displacement of the vertebrae.
• Overweight.
• A growing tumor that can be localized anywhere.

There are additional risk factors that lead to the fact that a pinched nerve occurs in a person more often than in other people: this is a hereditary predisposition, increased physical activity, improper posture, female gender, gestation period.

What to do if a nerve is pinched?

If you suspect that any nerve is pinched, you should seek help from a medical facility. Self-treatment using folk remedies can only aggravate the situation and lead to the development of complications. The doctor will be able to understand the reasons that led to the occurrence of compression and determine the tactics of treatment. It is important to strictly adhere to the recommendations given by the doctor.

Knowing how a pinched nerve is diagnosed can help you feel more confident in your doctor's appointment.

Treating a pinched nerve

First of all, the doctor must accurately establish the diagnosis. For this, MRI of the area that the person is complaining about is most often used. Sometimes an X-ray is done, which makes it possible to visualize pinched nerves in any part of the spine. X-rays are used when there is suspicion of compression of the nerves by bones, and MRI is used when it is suspected that the nerve has been compressed by soft tissues. In addition, it allows you to determine the condition of the internal organs and the presence of complications that could appear when a nerve is pinched.

Most often, the treatment of a pinched nerve is not difficult, and its results appear after the first treatment session. For treatment, acupuncture, manual therapy and Tibetan acupressure are used. Thanks to this, it is possible to quickly relieve muscle spasms, restore the correct position of the intervertebral discs, release pinched nerve endings and eliminate pain.

The general principles of treating nerves that have undergone compression are reduced to the fact that a person needs to relieve painful sensations, and only after that, the cause of such a condition is eliminated. If necessary, a person is operated on.

With regard to pain relief, both medication and non-medication are used. The most common group of medicines used to relieve pinched nerve pain is NSAIDs. They allow not only to lower the threshold of pain sensitivity, but also to reduce the existing inflammation. However, NSAIDs have serious side effects, primarily the ability to irritate the mucous membrane lining the stomach. Therefore, it is important to use drugs in this group when taken orally only after meals. In addition, NSAIDs can not be used for a long time and exceed the dosage, as this leads to an increase in all side effects. NSAIDs include voltaren, aspirin, ibuprofen, nimesulide, movalis, butadione, etc.

If the doctor diagnosed that the pinched nerve was caused by a muscle spasm, then other drugs, such as mydocalm, should be used to relieve it. Physiotherapy procedures such as UHF, electrophoresis, acupuncture course, novocaine blockade, massage help to eliminate pain.

The most effective auxiliary methods are magnetotherapy, electrophoresis, paraffin applications.

Do not forget about therapeutic gymnastics, the complexes are selected in accordance with the cause that caused the compression of the nerve.

The intake of vitamin complexes, in particular B vitamins, will help to normalize metabolic processes in the body.

After the pain syndrome has been removed, you should begin to eliminate the cause that caused the compression of the nerve. When pinching occurs as a result of an illness, it is necessary to eliminate it by appropriate means:

• If the cause of the compression and compression of the nerve lies in the trauma, then both conservative therapy and surgery are indicated.
• When the nerves are compressed by the tumor, then the appropriate treatment is prescribed by an oncologist.
• In addition to the therapeutic effect, the patient needs rest and bed rest. Often the pain is associated with the fact that a person spends a long time in an inappropriate position for him. So shooting pains in the lower back can be eliminated by replacing the sleeping place with a more rigid and firm one.
• It is important to stick to a specific diet. All fried, salty, spicy and spicy foods should be excluded from the daily menu.
• If the tendency to pinched nerves is caused by increased body weight, then a person should consult a dietitian who will help to reduce weight and avoid similar problems in the future.

The result of competent treatment will be:

• Removal of pain syndrome.
• Release the nerve and restore the transmission of nerve impulses.
• Removal of the inflammatory process, if any.
• Restoration of normal blood circulation in the damaged area.
• No relapse of pinched nerves.
• Prevention of disease development.
• Improvement of the condition, increased efficiency, restoration of the quality of life.
• Increased physical activity.

If it is not possible to immediately go to see a doctor, then if you suspect a pinched nerve, you should take an anesthetic and lay the person on a flat, hard surface. After that, you should call a medical worker at home or take the victim to the hospital yourself.

It should be understood that a pinched nerve is not a temporary state of the body that can pass on its own. Even after the pain has been relieved, the cause of the pinching must be investigated. In the absence of therapeutic intervention, compression of the nerves can lead to serious complications and the need for surgery.

The structure of the nervous system is very complex, so self-medication is unacceptable. Therapy should be performed only by a neurologist.

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Preventing a pinched nerve

Preventive measures for pinching a nerve include the following:

• Weight normalization. It is from its excess that the spine first of all suffers, hernias develop, the intervertebral discs are compacted and, as a result, the nerves are pinched.
• Correction of posture. Not only the frequency of pinching, but also the health of the spine and all internal organs in general depends on how correct a person's posture is. It is worth taking care of this measure of prevention from childhood.
• Increased physical activity. This is especially true for people leading a sedentary lifestyle with a predominantly sedentary job.
• Relief from unilateral pressure on the spine, such as carrying a bag on one shoulder. It is worth remembering that a pinched nerve can occur not only against the background of a lack of movement, but also with a one-sided effect.
• Avoiding traumatic situations and observing safety measures at the workplace.
• It is necessary to try not to make sudden movements after a long stay at rest.
• Correct arrangement of a sleeping place, purchase of orthopedic accessories for rest (mattresses and pillows).
• Timely access to a doctor, not only when a nerve is pinched, but also when pain in the spine appears.

By observing these preventive measures, you can slightly reduce the risk of pinching nerves.

Author of the article: Sokov Andrey Vladimirovich | Neurologist

Education: In 2005 completed an internship at the IM Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University and received a diploma in Neurology. In 2009, completed postgraduate studies in the specialty "Nervous diseases".