So, what causes a pinched nerve?
Nerves exit the spinal cord
from between every 2 vertebrae in an area called the intervertebral
foramen (IVF). Anything that protrudes into that space or decreases that
space, can pinch the nerve. The most common causes of this are
herniated or bulged discs, degenerated discs, bone spurs and misaligned
vertebrae.
How do you know whether you have a pinched nerve?
Pain, numbness and tingling or weakness into your arms or legs as well as neck and back pain are the most common symptoms.
The more severe the "pinch" the greater the likelihood that the symptoms travel to your arms and/or legs.
Besides just the type of symptoms, it is often made worse by certain
movements that close the IVF further. For example, combine tilting your
head to the side, turning it to the same side and then extend it back
like you're trying to look at the ceiling. Do you feel those symptoms or
does it make it worse?
So, what do you do if you have a pinched nerve?
The first thing is to get examined and xrayed to see what's causing it.
Sometimes an MRI is needed as well. Once that is known, proper
treatment can be implemented. If caught early, your chances are pretty
good that treatment will resolve the episode.
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