What Does a Pinched Nerve in the Back Feel Like?
Pinched nerve, or what doctors identify as the “compressed nerve,” is very painful. If you are suffering from this pain or know someone who’s been battling this discomfort, it’s essential to understand how it feels to provide immediate aid.
There are available self-care selections, over the counter medications for inflammation, massages, ice or heat compress, and alternatives to ease the pain. While a pinched nerve goes away by itself, sometimes the severity of pain can or cannot be tolerable.
But how will you know whether pain can be cured by medication or needs to seek medical help? If you experience persistent pain, it’s best to go to a specialist to manage pain. You can visit www.sunrisechiropractic.net/sciatica as they’re an expert when it comes to dealing with pinched nerves and offers effective aid on how to deal with severe neck and back pain.
What Is A Pinched Nerve?
The pinched nerve is a medical condition that happens with too much pressure applied to the nerve from surrounding tissues like tendon, muscles, cartilage, or bones. Stress disrupts your nerves’ functions, which causes tingling sensations, pain, weakness, or numbness.
It can be experienced in various parts of the body. However, a herniated disk on the lower back or spine can add pressure to the nerve root, causing radiating pain to go down to your end of the leg. Carpal tunnel syndrome or the pinched nerve, your experience on the wrist is causing pain.
With proper treatment, people suffering from pinched nerves have a higher percentage to recover from this illness. It can take a few days to weeks of treatments, or at times, surgery is required to reduce pain.
When do you need to call or visit a specialist?
- If you experience persistent pain
- If the pain lasts for a couple of days to weeks
- If you experience a sudden or onset of acute focal weakness is when your leg or a specific part of your body feels pain or weakness
While symptoms vary for every person, you need to understand how your body reacts and pays close attention. If you have further concerns about any unusual discomfort, it’s best to seek medical help asap.
Pinched Nerve: How Does It Feel, Symptoms, and Treatments
For many people who are not aware of a pinched nerve and how it usually feels, the pain is somewhat severe. You’ll feel decreased sensations, numbness, or weakness in certain areas that are supported by the affected nerve.
You may feel the following; burning pain, aching, sharp, or pain that radiates outward from the back, going down your leg. Pins & needles or paresthesia, tingling sensations, decreased muscle strength, or you frequently feel that your hand or foot is falling asleep. These issues can be leveraged when you experience it while sleeping.
Why Do You Experience Pinched Nerve
It happens with compression present to your nerve from surrounding tissues. In several scenarios, these tissues can be cartilage or bone-like in herniated disk issues where it compresses the nerve root. In some instances, the pain is due to tendons or muscles.
Other causes include carpal tunnel syndrome, where various tissues can cause your nerve’s pain or compression. It can be a swollen tendon into the tunnel, degenerated or thickened ligament, and enlarged bone, which causes the narrowing of the tunnel.
Some conditions can cause pinched nerve including;
- Infection – Pain can be from disks or vertebrae disorder that leads to nerve pain and inflammation.
- Spondylolisthesis – It happens when a vertebra on your lower spine is pinching the nerves or is dislodging.
- Bone spurs – Bone spurs are the extra bone growth that can form into your spine and add pressure to the nerves that cause recurring pain.
- Arthritis – It causes the bone and joint inflammation that increases nerve pressure to the spine.
- Spinal stenosis – It’s the process that narrows the spinal column and places the extra stress or compression into the nerves surrounding your spinal cord.
- Herniated disk – It is the compression of the disk between your spine vertebrae and bulge that puts all the pressure from surrounding nerves.
Treatments
Treatment for pinched nerves varies on the level of pain, severity, and the cause of nerve compression. There are various treatments available for this type of problem, and it’s essential to understand which one works perfectly for you.
Recovering from pinched nerves can take two days to weeks. Some people who experience pinched nerve consult professionals and request for treatment.
- Rest properly with gentle movements
- Medications to reduce pain and inflammation
- Posture adjustments
- Improved your standing workstation
- Stretch
- Splint
- Use ice or apply hot compress/heat
- Elevate legs
Conclusion
Most people who experience pinched nerve recovers with proper treatment and professional guidance. Some people can resolve minor symptoms through self-care solutions, while others seek healthcare help.
Getting plenty of rest and preventing strenuous activities or medications for pain can alleviate pain. There are several light exercises you can work with to improve pinched nerves. You need to check first with a professional before doing things on your own unless you’re trained to do so.
