Chiropractic Care for Pinched Nerves

If you are experiencing pain in your neck, shoulders, or lower back, you may be suffering from a pinched nerve. Find out how chiropractic care can help!

How Chiropractic Care Can Help with Pinched Nerves

Pain and numbness in your body may be due to a pinched nerve. Pinched nerves are not life-threatening but cause immense discomfort. Chiropractic care offers non-invasive treatment to help with pinched nerves. This post delves into what you need to know about pinched nerves and chiropractic care for a pinched nerve.

What Is a Pinched Nerve?

A pinched nerve is a compressed nerve. Adjacent nerve structures such as the vertebrae, ligaments, tendons, soft tissue, and intervertebral discs press on the nerve, causing them to send extra signals to the brain. Pinched nerves cause numbness, pain, and soreness in the affected area.

Why Do Pinched Nerves Happen? 

Pinched nerves occur when soft tissue, bone, or adjacent nerve structures press on the nerves. In most cases, it is a herniated disc that causes pinched nerves. Discs slip when there is trauma to the spine, although the discs may also shorten as you grow older. The age factor explains why pinched nerves are common in people aged 50 to 54.

Where Can You Get A Pinched Nerve?

Pinched nerves usually occur in the neck and lower back, where nerve roots draw out. Pinched nerves affect different parts of the body. Here are the most common places you can get a pinched nerve:

Pinched Nerve in Shoulder 

Pinched nerves in the shoulder manifest as pain in the neck and arms. You may also notice pinched nerve pain shooting down your arm or a sensation of your arm falling asleep. Compressed cervical nerves cause discomfort in the shoulders.

Pinched Nerve in Neck

Pressure on nerves in the upper cervical region causes pain in the neck. A stiff neck and numbness in the neck indicate pinched nerves.

Pinched Nerve in Lower Back

The lower back or lumbar region has multiple nerves that stem from the spinal cord. Pinched nerves can occur with a herniated disc or spinal misalignment in the lower back.

Pinched Nerve in Elbow

Pressure on the ulnar nerve causes irritated nerves, usually when hitting your elbow's funny bone.

What Causes a Pinched Nerve?

A pinched nerve results from pressure on the nerve because of an acute injury, carpal tunnel syndrome, disc degeneration, and herniation. Car accidents, bone spurs, sudden twisting, and heavy lifting can cause pinched nerves in the upper cervical spine (cervical radiculopathy), lower back (lumbar radiculopathy), or upper-middle back (thoracic radiculopathy). Pregnancy, obesity, falls, and an increase in weight can also cause pinched nerves.

What Are the Symptoms of a Pinched Nerve?

Pinched nerves in different body parts have varying symptoms. These are the symptoms to watch out for if you suspect you have a pinched nerve:

• Sharp or burning pain
• Numbness and tingling
• Increased numbness, especially in the morning
• Muscle weakness

The symptoms of a pinched nerve depend on the location of the nerve. If you sleep in an awkward position, you may notice pain shooting down your arm or wake up with a stiff neck.

Chiropractic Adjustments for a Pinched Nerve

The spine houses vertebrae and discs, which are the culprits of pinched nerves when there are complications. Chiropractic adjustments realign the spine to ease pressure on the nerves. 

After accurate diagnosis using physical examinations and imaging tests, the chiropractor employs upper cervical adjustments, soft tissue therapy, and high-velocity low-amplitude adjustments, depending on the location of the pinched nerve.

Chiropractic adjustment realigns the spine and other bony structures while lessening muscle tension and alleviating pain. The treatments progress from mild to more intensive before you can fully recover from pinched nerves. There is no one-size-fits-all chiropractic treatment; they vary according to each unique case of pinched nerves. The significant merits of chiropractic adjustment are that they restore the joints' range of motion and improve spinal fluid flow while reducing the effects of pinched nerves, all of which contribute to healthy living.

Conclusion

Chiropractic care and adjunctive therapies offer non-invasive treatment methods to counteract pinched nerve symptoms. The spinal adjustment realigns your spine to provide respite from pain while improving your overall health. Early treatment is vital for a pain-free body. Contact a reputable chiropractor for pinched nerve treatment.

Dr. Eric Neumann D.C.

Dr. Eric Neumann grew up in Alberta, Canada where he majored in Chemistry at the University of Calgary. During his time at University, he obtained licensure as a Massage Therapist. It was clear that hands-on healing would be his calling. After suffering multiple sport-related injuries he became interested in Chiropractic. Dr. Neumann graduated from Western States Chiropractic College in 2009. He has since specialized in the treatment and management of acute spinal injuries.