Pinched Nerve

What is a pinched nerve?

Pinched nerves don’t actually mean a ‘pinch,’ like something squeezed between your thumb and forefinger. It really means that there is ‘pressure’ on a nerve exiting from the spinal cord, or at another location, and causing pain along the distribution of that nerve’s pathway.

What are symptoms of a pinched nerve?

A pinched nerve can occur in any part of your spine. However, it most often affects the cervical spine (neck) or lumbar spine (lower back). Symptoms of a pinched nerve may include:

• Dull ache in the neck or low back

• Tingling, numbness, or burning sensations that extend down the shoulder and arm or down the buttock and into the thigh or calf

• Muscle weakness

• Electric shock-like sensations

Less frequently, nerves are compressed at locations other than the spine, but these peripheral pinched nerves cause the same complaints of pain, tingling, numbness, and weakness.

What causes pinched nerves in the spine?

Pinched nerves can come from a compressed spinal disc or from arthritic bones.  A common example of pinched nerve pain is pain in the shoulder blade or arm because of disc pressure on a nerve in the neck. Another example is pain in the hamstrings or calf muscles, which really comes from a compressed disc, or degenerative arthritis, in the lower back.

What happens during a pinched nerve consultation?

Dr. Kowal is an experienced chiropractor and he conducts a thorough evaluation when you come in to see him with concerns about a pinched nerve. The goal of the exam is to find the root cause of your nerve pain so he can provide the most effective treatment.

During your consultation, Dr. Kowal asks detailed questions about your symptoms, including the types of pain or nerve sensations you experience and the activities that may worsen or improve your symptoms.

Dr. Kowal then conducts a physical exam, with special emphasis on assessing the nerve pathways associated with your symptoms.

While X-rays and MRI’s aren’t usually required before beginning treatment, if needed, Dr. Kowal will make the appropriate orthopedic or neurological referral and help you to get a consultation scheduled as quickly as possible.

How are pinched nerves treated?

Dr. Kowal’s treatment for pinched nerves focuses on the causes of your symptoms – whether they originate from spinal disc compression, degenerative arthritis, or peripheral nerve compression.

Dr. Kowal’s treatments include myofascial manipulation, gentle joint mobilization, and exercise, as well as ergonomic improvements. In some cases, he will also directly treat injured peripheral nerve pathways with Transcutaneous Pulsed Radiofrequency.

A pinched nerve may cause a range of symptoms that may affect your daily life. For relief from your symptoms, contact the office of Dr. Richard Kowal by phone or online today.