How People Recover From Pinched Nerve

 A pinched nerve occurs when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues, such as bones, cartilage, muscles or tendons. This pressure disrupts the nerve's function, causing pain, tingling, numbness or weakness.

A pinched nerve can occur at a number of sites in your body. A herniated disk in your lower spine, for example, may put pressure on a nerve root, causing pain that radiates down the back of your leg. Likewise, a pinched nerve in your wrist can lead to pain and numbness in your hand and fingers.

With rest and other conservative pinched nerve treatments, most people recover from a pinched nerve within a few days or weeks. Sometimes, surgery is needed to relieve pain from a pinched nerve.

Pinched Nerve Diagnosis

If you think you have pinched nerve symptoms, it's best to visit your primary care physician first. It may be helpful to write down the symptoms you've been having before your appointment. Because a pinched nerve can look like other conditions, try to be as specific as possible when describing the pain or other sensations.

According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, a doctor may take an X-ray, a computed tomography (CT) scan, or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to find the cause of the pinched nerve. If your primary care doctor is unable to diagnose the pinched nerve, you may need to see a neurologist or orthopedist.

Symptoms

Pinched nerve signs and symptoms include:

 

Numbness or decreased sensation in the area supplied by the nerve

Sharp, aching or burning pain, which may radiate outward

Tingling, pins and needles sensations

Muscle weakness in the affected area

Frequent feeling that a foot or hand has fallen asleep

The problems related to a pinched nerve may be worse when you're sleeping.

Causes

A pinched nerve occurs when too much pressure (compression) is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues. In some cases, this tissue might be bone or cartilage, such as in the case of a herniated spinal disk that compresses a nerve root. In other cases, muscle or tendons may cause the condition.

 

In the case of carpal tunnel syndrome, a variety of tissues may be responsible for compression of the carpal tunnel's median nerve, including swollen tendon sheaths within the tunnel, enlarged bone that narrows the tunnel, or a thickened and degenerated ligament. A number of conditions may cause tissue to compress a nerve or nerves, including:

 

Injury

Rheumatoid or wrist arthritis

Stress from repetitive work

Hobbies or sports activities

Obesity

 

If a nerve is pinched for only a short time, there's usually no permanent damage. Once the pressure is relieved, nerve function returns to normal. However, if the pressure continues, chronic pain and permanent nerve damage can occur.

However, there comes a point when you should seek medical attention for your back pain or neck pain caused by a pinched nerve. Watch out for these severe symptoms.

Call a doctor if: You have persistent pain. If your pain from what you think is a pinched nerve lasts more than a couple of days, you should seek medical attention.Your pain is getting worse, despite trying the self-care treatment options mentioned above.You have a sudden onset of “acute focal weakness. ” That's doctor-speak for unexpected weakness or pain in a specific area. For example, if your whole right leg becomes unable to carry your weight, that's acute focal weakness.