What is a pinched nerve?
A pinched nerve (Radiculopathy) occurs when too much pressure is placed on a nerve by the surrounding tissues, typically bone, cartilage, muscles, or tendons. The pressure causes the nerve to lose ability to send signals which causes tingling, numbness, pain, and sometimes weakness.
While a pinched nerve can occur in many places within the body, there are some that are more common than others that can cause:
- Carpal Tunnel
- Cubital Tunnel
- Sciatica
If you’re suffering from symptoms of tingling, numbness, pain, and weakness in your back or limbs then call to schedule an appointment with Dr. Meyer at Meyer Chiropractic: Your Southlake Chiropactor.
What causes a pinched nerve?
Pinched nerves are usually associated with either injury, arthritis, repetitive stress, hobbies, sports, or obesity. Multiple combining factors can increase your chance of suffering from a pinched nerve.
Do pinched nerves go away on their own?
A pinched nerve, also called a compressed nerve can be quite painful. Most of the time, when caught early enough there are many different methods that can help in helping it heal without medical intervention. These self-care options include:
- Heat
- Ice
- Massage
- Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication
However, if these don’t help resolve the pinched nerve quickly, or if your symptoms progress, then you should seek medical condition. We usually recommend two initial medical interventions prior specialist doctors and surgeons. So, if you would like to receive an opinion that most likely won’t lead to surgery, then visit with these two doctors/specialists first:
- Chiropractor – Chiropractors are specialized in adjusting the spine and muscles to improve both blood flow and nerve function. By maintaining proper alignment of the spine, pinched nerves tend to heal much quicker.
- Sports Therapist – Pinched nerves are extremely common in sports and trained, licensed sports therapists can help work to improve the functionality of your nerve and reduce the inflammation and pressure causing increased pain.
At Meyer Chiropractic we have both a chiropractor and physical therapist that can help you heal your pinched nerve and the symptoms that come with it.
How do you fix a pinched nerve?
Chiropractors provide a variety of safe, effective treatments for pinched nerve pain. Chiropractic care and decompression therapy may involve spinal manipulation to alleviate pressure from a herniated disc or bulging disc. Massage therapy can ease pinched nerve pain caused by muscle tissue; massage therapy can also reduce muscle spasms associated with pinched nerve pain. Our chiropractors can also provide physical therapy that includes exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles in the affected area to relieve pressure on the nerve.
What happens if you let a pinched nerve go untreated?
Your legs may develop pinched nerves from herniated discs in your back or injuries. When left untreated, pinched nerves may lead to peripheral neuropathy. This may develop over the course of several weeks or years.
Don’t wait to get treated
Get the chiropractic treatment your nerves need immediately to avoid the pain and potential damage from postponing treatment. Simply call our Southlake chiropractic office at (817) 310-6604 to schedule your appointment.
