What is a Trapped Nerve and How to Deal with it
The term “trapped nerve” means that you have a nerve somewhere in your body that is pinched or compressed. A trapped nerve can cause considerable pain, as well as weakness, numbness and other symptoms depending on the spot where the nerve is trapped. Pinched nerves can occur anywhere in the body but more typical occur in the neck, lower back or mid back. Pain from trapped nerves in these areas will occur in other parts of the body where the nerve leads to, such as the hands, arms, legs and feet.
Nerves normally become trapped when vertebrae in the back become misaligned and the discs begin to bulge. The disc will then compress the nerve causing it to get irritated, when this happens it is called Sciatica. This type of injury or condition is one of the most common causes of back problems and trapped nerves and is responsible for more missed work than almost any other type of injury.
It is the job of a chiropractor to diagnose and treat misalignments and injuries to the back and the compressed nerves that are a result of these problems. Often time a chiropractor can relieve the symptoms and correct the problem without the intervention of drugs or surgery making it the preferred treatment for many people. The chiropractor will perform a series of adjustments to your back over a period of weeks that will encourage the back to align properly and take the pressure off the nerves that are pinched.
Trapped nerves can also occur in other areas such as in the wrist due to arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome. Swelling in the joints of the wrist can trap a nerve causing numbness and pain in the hand. Enlarged tissues such as a lymph node or tumor can compress a nearby nerve and cause symptoms as well. Injury in other parts of the body can also compress nerves, this is usually due to swelling or breaking of a bone.
Treating a trapped nerve will depend on what has caused it. For carpel tunnel syndrome often the treatment is a brace, for sciatica treatment is usually a combination of anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxers, and going to a chiropractor to get your back realigned.
Inflammation that is caused by back problems, arthritis or swelling is usually treated with ice and anti-inflammatories. If the compressed nerve is not helped by these measures then often surgery is recommended to relieve the pressure on the nerve, this is normally a last resort after all other treatments have been tried.