Burbank Chiropractor Discusses the Signs of a Pinched Nerve

Have you ever experienced numbness, tingling, weakness, muscle atrophy, or radiating pain in your arm or leg? If so, chances are you might have experienced a pinched nerve. Symptoms of a pinched nerve results from compression and inflammation of the nerve typically extending from the spine into other areas of the body. The pain can radiate into the shoulder and arm (cervical radiculopathy) or even into the leg and foot (lumbar radiculopathy or sciatic nerve pain). There are multiple factors that can contribute to a pinched nerve such as vertebral misalignment, trauma, auto accident, work injuries, bony changes, and postural faults. When one of the vertebrae, bones in our spine, are misaligned, they can place pressure on the nerve causing symptoms as described above. Other causes of a pinched nerve can be issues in the tendon, ligament, or bone.

What Happens When a Nerve is Pinched?

Pinched nerves can often cause radiating pain to the extremities. If there is any type of compression on one of the exiting nerve roots from the spine, a person might feel a sharp pain, burning sensation, and numbness/tingling which can radiate to the extremities. Our nerves control everything inside our body including muscle function, organic function, and digestion to name a few. Like a roadmap, our nerves travel all throughout our body and if there is compression at any point in the nerve, the structures that the nerve supplies will not function properly. This is where chiropractic comes in. If the vertebrae in our spine are misaligned, it can potentially place pressure on the exiting nerve root causing that radiating pain. Once these spinal segments are realigned with a chiropractic adjustment, less pressure will be placed on the discs and surrounding structures potentially alleviating this discomfort.
Numbness, tingling, and paresthesia (needles sensation) in the extremities can also be felt if a person is experiencing a pinched nerve. You might have the sensation of your foot “falling asleep” or a numb hand without sleeping on it. Once there is pressure placed on the nerve, it cuts the communication between the nerve and all the other structures it supplies. In addition to supplying sensation, nerves also support muscle cell activity and strength. Muscle weakness due to a pinched nerve may feel as though your arms or legs are not as strong as they normally are. Grip strength in the hand might be decreased as well.

A pinched nerve does not only have to originate in the spine, but can also begin in the periphery such as the elbow or wrist. An example of this is carpal tunnel where in some cases there is compression near the elbow joint or at the wrist joint causing compression of the nerve that leads into the hand. This can lead to numbness, tingling, paresthesia, and decrease in grip strength in the hand.

Getting Treatment by a Pinched Nerve Doctor in Burbank

Delaying your treatment may lead to chronic interference with normal functioning of the nervous system. It is recommended that you advise your chiropractor of any type of muscle weakness, numbness, tingling, or radiation into other areas of the body. It is important that your chiropractor first evaluate the condition and see what nerve roots, or peripheral nerves, may be involved so that a proper treatment plan can be set forth. Chiropractic adjustments, spinal decompression, and other therapies can help take pressure off the nerves that might be irritated by disc issues or other trauma.