Trapped Nerve

A pinched nerve from the spine can cause pain in areas such as arms, hands, legs and feet. For example, sciatica can be caused by a pinched nerve due to a herniated disc in your spine. In other cases, a pinched nerve along the sacral plexus (group of nerve fibers emerging from the sacrum) can also cause sciatica. Sometimes people have sciatica caused by a pinched nerve in piriformis muscle (muscle in the buttocks). As you can see, there may be many factors that can cause a trapped nerve. The way to accurately diagnose the cause of your pain is by examining your signs and symptoms.

signs and symptoms pinched nerve include:

1. A feeling of numbness (no feeling), tingling or weakness along the body part where the nerve crosses.
2. Feelings of "ants" in the affected area.
3. Sharp or burning

Here is a list of the most common causes for a pinched nerve:

1. Accident, injury, trauma
2. Degenerative disc disease (DDD)
3. Tumor
4. Canal stenosis
5. Herniated
6. Overuse injuries / RSI
7. Poor posture
8. Obesity
9. Osteoarthritis
10. Osteoporotic fractures

Generally, there is no permanent damage if a nerve is trapped for a short duration. However, if the pinched nerve is not treated, and the pressure continues, the result can be chronic pain and possible permanent nerve damage. Many people will recover from the effects of a pinched nerve in the days or weeks of rest and conservative treatment. Stop any activity that may cause or aggravate the nerve compression is essential for a full recovery. In some cases it may be necessary to wear a brace or splint to immobilize the area, as in carpal tunnel syndrome.

There are some preventive measures that can you can take. For example, maintain a healthy weight, limit the activities that are repetitive work and maintain good posture. There are also stretching and rehabilitation exercises that are specifically designed to relieve the pain of a pinched nerve. Your doctor may prescribe pain medication or use an injection of steroids to reduce pain and inflammation. For those who want a more natural approach to treat pinched nerve, there are alternatives such as acupuncture, chiropractic and physical therapy which provided some people with relief.

In general, if a trapped nerve shows no sign of improvement or becomes progressively worse after three months of conservative treatment, surgery may be necessary. The type of intervention depends on the location of nerve compression. For example, different types of surgery can cause the removal of portions of a herniated disc, the release of the nerve, the removal of ligaments or taking bone spurs. Each case requires a pinched nerve specific surgical procedure.