Home / Treatment / Causes, symptoms and treatment pinched nerve

Causes, symptoms and treatment pinched nerve

The content of the article:

What is a pinched nerve?

A pinched nerve occurs when the nerve roots that extend from the spinal cord are squeezed by adjacent vertebrae or other "obstacles", including: hernia, spasm of muscles, tendons, cartilage, tumor, protrusion.

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

Depending on the place of pinched nerve and localization of pain, isolated sciatica (pain in the sacrum, the buttock, the back surface of the feet), sciatica (pain in the lower back, buttock, back of the leg), lumbalgia (back pain and back), cervicobrachialgia (neck pain and arm) and cervicalgia (neck pain).

It is important to note that the person experiencing an acute attack of pain may additionally suffer from numbness in certain muscle groups, from malfunction of organs. It affects which nerve was pinched. We must distinguish between the pinched sensory, autonomic and motor nerves. When suffering the first of them, the man turns to the doctor due to severe pain that cannot be endured. With the pinching of the latter two varieties of nerves medical care is often delayed, which is fraught with serious complications.


Symptoms of pinched nerve

Symptoms of a pinched nerve directly depend on the localization constraint. Affects the manifestation of disease and the inflammatory process (if it exists), the cause of jamming and the duration (extent).

The main symptom is a sharp pain at the site of entrapment (waist, neck, back, arm or leg) and limited movements. Severe cases of pinched cervical, sciatic or spinal nerve can lead to compression of the spinal cord, disrupt motor function and sensitivity of the limbs, cause paresis or paralysis.

Signs of a pinched nerve and endings will vary depending on what was the cause of this condition. Also on the severity and nature of symptoms is influenced by the fact that for what function is responsible for the nerve and where it is located.

Therefore, we can identifythe following symptoms pinched:

  • A pinched sciatic nerve or the nerve in the lower back (sciatica) is manifested by burning and tingling that radiates to the leg. She, in turn, becomes sedentary, and in the standing position the person feels shooting pain. In the presence of a hernia or prolapse pain becomes more intense and sharp. If a pinched nerve is inflamed, talking about sciatica. Often a pinched nerve in the lower back can be caused by overweight, because it is on the lumbar region accounts for the weight of the body. When the cause of the pinching is getting disc herniation and aggravation of degenerative disc disease are recommended herbal medicine, and therapeutic exercises and manual therapy are excluded.

  • When pinched cervical nerve is characterized by the tension of the neck muscles. The pain is greatly enhanced if the person tries to turn his head or, on the contrary, keeps her in the same position (while sleeping, during prolonged sitting, etc.). Pinch nerve can cervical intervertebral discs or vertebrae in the case of degenerative disc disease, subluxation, or prolapse (protrusion). To treat a pinched best massage and manual therapy can relieve a person from pain and restore the normal anatomical position of intervertebral discs.

  • If the affected sensory nerve, the person feels the pain of different intensity. She can wear stinging, shooting, stabbing nature. May occur with paroxysmal and may be present constantly.

  • When a nerve is pinched in the thoracic spine, people suffering from intercostal neuralgia. If in the same place compression undergoes the vegetative part of the nervous system, patients often complain of heart pain. To differentiate a pinched nerve from heart disease should pay attention to the nature of the pain. As a rule, intercostal neuralgia they are present on a regular basis, do not cease either during rest or during active pastime. Increase symptoms occurs when you try to probe the space between the ribs and perform the movement of the body.

  • In that case, if it turns out bent the sciatic nerve, patients complain of pain in the lower back that give in the lower limbs, buttocks and can reach up to five.
  • When suffering radial nerve, the person is unable to straighten and bend the arm, the fingers are flexed, and the brush hangs limp. The symptoms vary fromspecific location restrictions.
  • Upon compression of the ulnar nerve is disturbed the sensitivity of the fingers and wrist. Suffering blood circulation, give pain in the little finger.
  • Often, regardless of the nerve suffers, the place of compression becomes swollen, red and painful.

  • Muscular cramps and weakness in the localization constraint. Feelings of tingling.

The symptoms characterizing the pinched nerve, tend to increase during night rest. The same thing happens when severe coughing, laughing, sneezing, or even just with increased excitement. If numbness of limbs, pain can fade. Hypothermia, in contrast, leads to increased pain.


Causes of pinched nerve

Most often, a pinched nerve is caused by exacerbation of osteochondrosis (degeneration of the cartilage of the intervertebral discs): the gap between the vertebrae narrows and nerve branches zaselyalsya. Hypertonicity (spasserovannye) muscle only aggravates the pathological process, causing the person even more discomfort.

When muscle spasms pinch nerves are also affected and blood vessels. It is not only painful, but also impairs blood flow, internal organs and brain. If the cramping lasts a long time, the nervous tissue may die and sensitivity of individual body parts and areas of the skin may disappear. Sometimes a pinched nerve can become inflamed. In particular, this happens when the sciatica.

As to the other causes of a pinched nerve include the following:

  • An awkward move made with too high speed and sharpness.
  • Sharp loading on any section of the spine, after long being in a state of rest.

  • Any kind of injury – bruises, falls, sprains, fractures, subluxations, etc.

  • Defects of the spine, congenital and acquired nature.

  • The recovery period after any surgery.
  • Abnormalities in hormonal sphere.

  • Disease, wearing an infectious nature.

  • Osteochondrosis of the spine and complications of the disease such as hernia and disc protrusion.
  • Spasms of the muscles in consequence of many reasons.
  • The displacement of the vertebrae.

  • The excess body weight.

  • Growing tumorwhich may be localized anywhere.

There are additional risk factors which cause a pinched nerve to occur in humans more frequently than other people: it is a genetic predisposition, enhanced physical activity, bad posture, female gender, period of gestation.

What to do with the pinched nerve?

In the event of a suspected pinched any nerve to ask for help in a medical facility. Self-treatment using folk remedies can only aggravate the situation and lead to complications. The doctor will be able to understand the reasons that led to the emergence of compression to determine the tactics of treatment. It is important to adhere strictly to the recommendations given by the doctor.

Knowing how is the diagnosis of a pinched nerve, will help you to feel more confident on the doctor.


Treatment for pinched nerve

First and foremost, the doctor must accurately diagnose. This is most commonly used MRI of the area in which the person makes the complaint. Sometimes it is an x-ray study that allows visualization of the pinched nerves in any part of the spine. Use x-rays in cases of suspected compression of nerves, bones, and MRI if you suspect that the nerve was exposed to compression of the soft tissues. In addition, it allows you to determine the condition of internal organs and the presence of complications that could appear if pinched nerve.

Most often, treatment for pinched nerve does not represents the complexity and the results are already visible after the first treatment session. For treatment using acupuncture, manual therapy and acupressure Tibetan massage. Through this it is possible to quickly relieve muscle spasms, restore proper position of the intervertebral discs, release pinched nerves and relieve the pain syndrome.

General principles of treatment of nerve subjected to compression, are reduced to what the person needs to relieve painful sensation, and after that carry out the elimination of the causes of this condition. If necessary, the person in surgery.

As for anesthesia, it is used as medication and non-drug treatment. Thecommon medicines for pain relief while the pinched nerve is a NSAIDs. They allow not only to lower the threshold of pain sensitivity, but also decrease the inflammation. However, NSAIDs have serious side effects, first and foremost is the ability to irritate the mucous membrane lining the stomach. It is therefore important to use the drugs in this group when administered soon after a meal. Besides NSAIDs, you cannot apply for a long period of time and to exceed the dosage, as this leads to increased any side effects. By NSAIDs include voltaren, aspirin, ibuprofen, nimesulide, Movalis, phenylbutazone, etc.

If a physician has diagnosed that a pinched nerve was caused by spasm of the muscles, to remove it is necessary to use other medicines, for example, mydocalm. Help eliminate pain physiotherapy such as UHF, electrophoresis, passage of a course of acupuncture, procaine blockade, massage.

The most efficient supporting methods are magnetic therapy, electrophoresis, paraffin applications.

Do not forget about exercises, complexes are selected in accordance with the cause of the nerve compression.

To normalize metabolic processes in the body will help the intake of vitamin complexes, in particular b vitamins

After was removed pain, you should begin to eliminate the cause of the compression of a nerve. When cramping occurs as a result of illness, you must resolve it by appropriate means, to:

  • If the cause of compression and compression of the nerve injury lies in, it shows how conservative therapy and surgery.
  • When nerves are compressed by the tumor, it assigns appropriate treatment by an oncologist.
  • In addition to the therapeutic impact patient needed rest and bed rest. Often the pain associated with the fact that the person is a long time in the wrong position. So shooting pain in the lower back can be eliminated by replacing the sleeper with a more rigid and solid.
  • It is important to follow a certain diet. From the daily menu should exclude all fried, salty, spicy and spicy food.
  • If a tendency to a pinched nerve caused by increased body weight, the person should consult a nutritionist who will help you to reduce weight and to avoid such problems in the future.

The result of proper treatment will be:

  • The removal of pain.
  • Release the nerve and restore nerve impulse transmission.
  • The removal of the inflammatory process, if any.
  • Restoration of normal blood circulation in the damaged area.
  • No recurrence of the pinched nerves.
  • Prevention of development of diseases.
  • Improvement, increase efficiency, recovery, quality of life.
  • The increase in locomotor activity.

If it is not possible to go on reception to the doctor, if you suspect a pinched nerve is to take pain medication and to put the person on a hard and flat surface. After you call the medical worker at the house or deliver the victim to the hospital yourself.

It is understood that a pinched nerve is not a temporary state of the organism, which is able to pass independent. Even after the pain are eliminated, the cause of the pinch must be clarified. In the absence of a therapeutic effect, compression of nerves can lead to serious complications and need for surgical intervention.

Structure of the nervous system is very complex, so do not self medicate. Therapy should be performed only by a neurologist.

How to relieve pain from sciatic nerve for 2 minutes?


Prevention of pinched nerve

The prevention of a pinched nerve include the following:

  • Normalization of weight. From its excess primarily affect the spine, developing hernia, occurs seal of the intervertebral discs and as a result there is a pinched nerve.

  • Correction of posture. From that, how much correct a person's posture depends not only frequency of occurrence of entrapment, but also the health of the spine and all internal organs in General. Take care of this measure of prevention is worth since childhood.

  • The increase in locomotor activity. This is especially true for people leading a sedentary lifestyle is predominantly sedentary work.

  • Getting rid of unilateral pressure on the spine, for example, carry bags on one shoulder. It is worth remembering that a pinched nerve can occur not only in the absence of movement, but at the one-sided impact.

  • Avoidance of traumatic situations and safety in the workplace.

  • You need to try not to make sudden movements after a long stay in a state of rest.

  • The correct arrangement of bed, purchase supplies for the rest (mattresses and pillows).

  • Timely access to a doctor, not only for any pinched nerve, but when the appeared pain in the spine.

By following these preventive measures can somewhat reduce the risk of pinched nerves.