Most of the problems in your body start with pain. This pain generally occurs in your neck, arms, legs, etc. Sometimes you may ignore this pain because you think of it as temporary. However, if this pain continues and occurs in different parts of your body, it is best to look out for professional advice. If you’re in a situation where you are experiencing shooting pain moving down your legs and arms, you might have a pinched nerve.
But, you should not worry about a pinched nerve too much as this is a common condition, and many experiences it during their lifetime. Still, you should not take this condition lightly, as the symptoms can worsen if you don’t get the proper treatment on time. Furthermore, this pain can become worse and can hinder your day-to-day tasks.
If you come to know about your condition on time, you can avoid surgical procedures. In most cases of a pinched nerve, a chiropractor can help release the nerve. However, how do they do it, or can a chiropractor actually help a pinched nerve, are some of the frequently asked questions. Let’s look into what a pinched nerve is and can a chiropractor prove helpful in treating this condition.
In simple terms, a pinched nerve is a nerve that is compressed. This usually happens when the surrounding tissues of your nerves press on them, causing numbness, pain, and tingling throughout your body’s different areas.
In most cases, a pinched nerve occurs in the neck, lower back, or upper middle back. You may also experience pinched nerves in your wrist, hand, or elbow. If you have a compressed nerve, you can face its effects in different areas of the body:
Although a pinched nerve can be painful, it is treatable, and you can fully recover from it with the proper treatment.
Also read:- Why Visit An Auto Injury Chiropractor After A Car Accident?
Pinched or compressed nerve symptoms stay the same regardless of where it occurs in your body. So, common signs and symptoms of a pinched nerve include:
The primary cause of a pinched nerve is the tissue surrounding the nerves compressing them. These tissues can be your bone, muscle, cartilage, herniated discs, etc.
Other than that, there are various causes of compressed nerves, including:
Well, now you know that the primary cause of a compressed nerve is the tissues around the nerves pressing them. And this problem is part of the spinal alignment issues. You need to ensure that your body’s tissue doesn’t compress the body’s nerves. If this happens to you, your tissues must be realigned.
In order to fix the compressed nerve issue, a chiropractor is one of the best options. Chiropractic care includes hands-on therapy for adjusting the alignment of your body’s tissues. With this, they try to free your nerves from the tissue pressure. Furthermore, chiropractic care is non-invasive, addressing your problem’s root. No medications and invasive procedures will be needed if you take the help of a chiropractor to recover from a compressed nerve. You can recover from a pinched nerve within six to 12 weeks of regular chiropractic care.
Although chiropractors’ study revolves around the spine, most of their education focuses on its impact on the nervous system. When a chiropractor performs the adjustment, its primary objective is to eliminate nerve interference in your body, as this interference is responsible for the abnormal functioning of the body and various health complications. From this, you know that a chiropractor understands the nervous system, and they are proven to help treat a pinched nerve.
If you’re facing any signs which indicate you have a compressed nerve, you can contact our chiropractor at Realign Spine. Dr. Michael Shaub has years of chiropractic experience and can provide an accurate diagnosis of your condition by discussing your symptoms, medical history, and a physical evaluation. With all this data, our chiropractor can know exactly which of your nerves is impacted. And after that, he can determine which parts he needs to adjust to help you recover from this condition.
Have you ever taken medicine to control pain in your body? Well, most of you reading this may indeed have taken quite a few in your lifetime. As the name suggests, pain medication helps you control various pains in your body. However, in most cases, this pain returns after a few hours of taking the pain management medicine.
The logic is quite simple behind this. Medicine only helps manage your symptoms; it’s not actually working toward giving you complete pain relief. Furthermore, in the case of a pinched nerve, taking medicine will only give you temporary relief. After a few hours, you’ll experience the same pain again. And, since this medicine does not address your pain’s root cause, your condition can even worsen as time passes.
A chiropractor, on the other hand, identifies the nerve which has been actually impacted. And he then uses spinal manipulation to eliminate the tissue compression completely. So, with chiropractic care, you’re relieving your symptoms and the problem or root cause. As mentioned before, the misalignment of a bone, muscle, or joint is usually the cause of a pinched nerve. A chiropractor will work toward adjusting these structures back to their original place. This way, they can relieve nerve pressure, offering quick pain relief.
Yes, although spinal adjustment is the primary method a chiropractor uses to heal a pinched nerve, there are other methods a chiropractor can use to treat this condition. Other than this, a chiropractor can even include a few aspects of physical therapy with chiropractic care to help strengthen your impacted muscles. Furthermore, your chiropractor may ask you to perform gentle exercises in your free time while the treatment for the compressed nerves is going on.
Also, as there are different causes of this injury, the professional may even recommend lifestyle changes like exercise or diet, which may help boost the healing process.
A chiropractor works on your problem’s root cause to provide you relief from pain. However, their treatment also focuses on preventing these types of injuries from happening again. And this will include strategies that you’ll need to add to your daily life. Common patients with pinched nerves include people with sitting jobs or those with wrong postures. A chiropractor can help you by creating a plan consisting of strategies to correct your posture, add movement to your daily life, and make changes in your work setup.
Your chiropractor will work toward strengthening your joints and create plans that can help prevent future injuries related to compressed nerves.
Most cases of pinched nerves are easy to treat, as this problem commonly occurs due to misalignment that a chiropractor can handle. However, sometimes the symptoms, which may look like a compressed nerve, can be more concerning. On the other hand, if your case is severe due to long time progression, you might need to try more invasive methods.
Suppose your chiropractor, after evaluating your condition, notices that your case is extreme. In that case, they will refer you to a professional who will most likely be able to treat your current condition.
While chiropractic care can help you recover fully from a pinched nerve, there are some ways you should know about which can help increase the recovery rate.
Excessive muscle movement is one of the causes of a pinched nerve. If any movement you’re making causes you pain, you should try not doing that action as much as possible. Giving your muscles rest by taking a long rest can help you recover your condition fast.
Other than that, you should try getting enough sleep. You’ll feel significant improvement in your compressed nerve symptoms if you take a proper rest every night.
Another major cause of pinched nerves is bad posture. This is usually the case for officer goers who sit in offices for a more extended period under a wrong posture.
While sitting on your chair, ensure your back is in a straight position. Furthermore, keep your monitor at eye level so your neck doesn’t stay in the wrong position for longer periods.
You can relieve swelling, and inflammation caused due to a pinched nerve if you apply heating pads and ice packs to the affected area. Ensure you control this swelling, as it can create more pressure around the compressed nerve.
You can try following hydrotherapy, which involves rotating between applying ice packs and heating pads. You can use the ice pack three times every day for 15 minutes. Try not to overdo it, as it can slow the recovery process. On the other hand, you can use the heating pad four to five times per week. Simply apply both of these on your swollen area at regular intervals.
While this may not work every time, sometimes you can easily fix a compressed nerve by performing simple stretches. You just need to do these stretches a few times a day without doing anything extreme.
Try keeping these stretches light, as overdoing them can worsen your condition.
Standing workstations are an excellent replacement for people who sit at office desks for long periods. This is an effective way if you’re looking to improve your body posture. Furthermore, you can easily prevent situations that can cause pinched nerves.
Other than posture improvement, a standing workstation helps your body stay in motion throughout the day. However, if you cannot get such a workstation in your office, ensure you take a five to ten-minute walk every hour.
A pinched nerve is a common condition, and it is more common in people with long hours of sitting jobs. If you have any symptoms that might suggest a compressed nerve, consult your healthcare provider immediately. If your doctor confirms you have this condition, contact us at Realign Spine.
Our chiropractor will diagnose your condition and provide the best treatment, depending on your affected area. Furthermore, he will guide you on lifestyle and diet changes, so you can recover from this condition quickly and prevent it from happening again.
To schedule a meeting with Dr. Shaub, call us at +1-888-269-7246. You can also send your queries to 888anypain@gmail.com.
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