If you’ve ever said (or thought), “you’re getting on my nerves,” you might be onto something. In all seriousness, when something presses on your nerve, it does hurt. And, while your relatives can’t actually press your nerves, another body part can.
That’s what causes a pinched nerve. Usually brought on by repetition, people suffer with pinched nerves because bones, tendons, or cartilage is out of place. These other body parts press on the nerve and compress it. It causes tingling and pain. You might even find yourself wincing as you hit the tennis ball or the letters on the keyboard.
The Raw Facts of a Pinched Nerve
When you think about it makes sense. Just as a pinch of your skin can hurt, pinched nerves are really quite similar. However, instead of fingers compressing skin together, it’s cartilage, tendons, bone, or muscles that cause the pinching. Something is out of alignment. They’re usually found in your upper or lower back or your neck. However, you can also have a pinched nerve in your leg or buttock.
Then again, it may not be painful, but exhibit other symptoms.
4 Symptoms of Pinched Nerves
Tingling (like when your foot falls asleep)
Numbness
Shooting pain when you exercise or engage in the activity that’s causing it (such as typing)
Muscle weakness (loss of grip strength for example.)
Sometimes, rest and over-the-counter remedies eliminate the pain. Regular stretches can help too. For computer warriors, ergonomically friendly desks and chairs will help keep you from hunching over. Also, being aware of your posture and standing (or sitting) up straight can help because slouching and hunching over knocks your body out of alignment which can make pinched nerve pain worse.
The causes of a pinched nerve usually stem from things like an accident, repetitive stress injury, being overweight, or rheumatoid arthritis. While the causes can be different, the pain is the same and you deserve to feel better.
Why Surgery Isn’t Always the Answer
If you are in pain with your pinched nerve you’re not alone. One statistic says 31 days a year of work are lost to pain around pinched nerves and carpal tunnel. That’s a lot of time in pain! Besides the recovery time and general anxiety of surgery for a pinched nerve, it’s not always effective. In fact, many patients find themselves undergoing surgery more than once to try to alleviate their pain. You probably don’t want to do that and there’s no requirement to do it.
Massage therapy, chiropractic care, and yoga can help you be pain-free without surgery. Better yet, unlike surgery and pills, chiropractic care can help your body to heal itself! Because these methods help your body return to its natural state of health.
In Doylestown, Pa. Dr. Jeff McQuaite can help you reduce your pinched nerve pain. He’ll start with an x-ray to see inside your body and then talk with you about your options. It’s wonderful to skip the surgery and relieve your pain! Schedule your appointment today and get on the path to feeling your best.
Are you one of the 20.4% of American adults living with chronic pain? If you are, you’d probably like to find a solution.
Chronic pain can last for years and impact your quality of life in significant ways. At first, you make small adjustments to accommodate your pain. Maybe you find another family member to open the jars for you or you sit out your favorite activities.
Before you know it, you’re sitting out your favorite activities. Natural pain management can help you get your life back.
4 Ways Natural Pain Management Can Benefit You Mentally and Physically
Finding ways to manage chronic pain is important to your quality of life. Everyone is different so what works for you may not work for your spouse or friend, but these natural approaches have many benefits.
Yoga – From “lay on the floor” Yin Yoga to Power Yoga, there’s a yoga style to fit everyone. Of course, if you want to incorporate yoga into your pain management program, it’s important to assess your current activity level and find a teacher/class geared towards those in chronic pain. If you’re not a regular practitioner, you can find a beginner class to give it a try. Some yoga studios offer classes called “Yoga Basics” or “Yoga for Beginners.” You can also call and ask about classes for natural pain management.
Massage Therapy – Harvard Health Publishing shares that “A study published in Annals of Family Medicine in 2014 found that 60-minute therapeutic massage sessions two or three times a week for four weeks relieved chronic neck pain better than no massage or fewer or shorter massage sessions.”
It also benefits chronic back pain, shoulder pain, and other conditions. Massage therapy stretches and soothes your muscles and tendons which can reduce pain. It also relieves anxiety which helps reduce your pain too. We recommend interspersing massage with chiropractic treatments.
Chiropractic Care – Chiropractors use spinal manipulation and other therapies to help treat people with chronic pain. While chiropractors are often thought of for back pain relief, they can also help with carpal tunnel, headaches, and other chronic pain.
For example, at our chiropractic office, your first visit will include an x-ray and health assessment. That way, we can create an individualized treatment plan for your pain management. It may include some exercises and alternating heat and cold in between chiropractic adjustments.
Acupuncture – This ancient practice is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine. If you’re familiar with it, the practitioner uses tiny needles at strategic points in the body to release the body’s natural life force. The idea is that pain and illness come from blockages within the body. When the blockages are removed, blood and oxygen can flow freely.
Of course, this is only a sampling of natural pain management techniques. You might try physical therapy, hot and cold therapies, and a combination of other therapies. Fortunately, there are many ways you can feel better.
If you’re in chronic pain, you know the toll it takes on your physical and mental well-being. It zaps your energy and enthusiasm. You deserve to feel better.
First, you want to get at the source of why you have chronic pain. Maybe you know your knee pain stems from high school sports. Or, you suspect your shoulder pain relates to long hours at the computer. From run-of-the-mill chronic pain to sciatica and slipped discs, the right blend of therapies can help you feel your best.
If you’re in Doylestown, PA, why not visit us for more information about pain management? Dr. McQuaite will consult with you and develop a treatment plan for your specific body. We take most insurance! Why not come in and let us help you feel better!
If you feel tingling down your arms or shooting arm pain, you may have cervical radiculopathy. More commonly known as a “pinched nerve” in the neck, cervical radiculopathy can be excruciating. Or it can be a dull pain.
Firstly, no matter how it feels for you, you’re bothered by it, and it affects your life in some way.
For instance, below, you’ll see the typical symptoms of cervical radiculopathy.
But first, here’s what we mean by “cervical.”
Imagine the back of your head where the base of the neck meets your spinal column. Your shoulders extend from your neck, and from there are nerves, tendons, and ligaments that send messages throughout your body and contribute to your range of motion. When one of those nerves is pinched or compressed, that may be cervical radiculopathy.
For example, if you’ve heard of the cervical spine, that’s the area relating to your neck. Seven bones make up this region, and just like the entire spine, there’s a special disc that separates each bone. Those discs are known as intervertebral discs, and they help your spine stay limber. For instance, when you twist your neck to look over your shoulder, these special discs help with that mobility.
On a related, yet separate note, you may have heard of having pinched nerves in your lower back. As you may guess, this can cause similar feelings but down your legs instead of your arms. That’s lumbar radiculopathy. It’s similar but usually contributes to lower body pain. For the purposes of this article, we’ll stick with the upper body.
Now that you know cervical radiculopathy is a pinched nerve in your neck or shoulder region, you may wonder about the symptoms.
What are the Symptoms of Cervical Radiculopathy?
The symptoms vary, as you can see.
Pain radiates down your arms.
Numbness in your arms
Dull pain in your shoulders/arms
Tingly sensation in your arms
Headaches
Muscle weakness
Less range of motion.
Left untreated, cervical radiculopathy or a pinched nerve in your neck can lead to permanent nerve damage.
According to Orthoinfo.com, radiculopathy has two common causes. In those of us of a “certain age,” it’s often caused by a breakdown of the discs in between bones, similar to arthritis. In other cases, a traumatic injury could cause it.
No matter the cause, it can be frustrating and debilitating. You might find yourself having to sit out of things you want to do in life. For example, maybe you no longer have the strength to pick up your little dog, or you find yourself in the kitchen unable to pick up a stack of dishes.
You’re probably tired of the pain.
What Treatment Options are There?
Fortunately, there are many treatment options.
Rest
Ice/Heat
Spinal decompression therapy
Traditional chiropractic treatments
Acupuncture
Massage
Steroid injections
Over the counter painkillers
Gentle stretches
Physical therapy
It won’t be one treatment option in many cases but rather a range of things that will help. Each case is individual, so you’ll want to see your medical professional see what type of treatment plan will work well for your situation.
Yet, before you can treat it, you need to know your diagnosis, your physical abilities, lifestyle, and other specific concerns.
According to a recent study, some benefit from manual therapy, such as physical therapy or chiropractors. This can improve your range of motion and reduce inflammation. With some lifestyle adjustments and medical care, you’ll likely find pain relief.
In conclusion, in Doylestown, PA, Dr. Jeff McQuaite helps many people find pain relief from cervical radiculopathy or pinched nerve in the neck pain. He’ll conduct an x-ray and talk with you about your medical history to work out a treatment plan that makes sense for you. He offers traditional chiropractic care, spinal decompression treatment, and even non-cracking adjustments in his Doylestown office.
Have you been diagnosed with a pinched nerve? Or maybe you have pain in your arm, neck, and shoulder and wonder if it’s stemming from your neck?
A pinched nerve in your neck is can cause pain all the way down your arm. In medical terms, we call it “cervical radiculopathy.” But no matter what you call it, it’s painful. If you’ve got neck and arm pain and you’ve tried changing your pillow, stretching, and a massage but it’s still not going away, then it may be a pinched nerve.
There are many possible causes for a pinched nerve in neck but the reason is the same. Some piece of the nerve is compressed or “pinched.” The nerve then sends the brain distress signals and you can feel throbbing pain, burning, or weakness in your neck, shoulder, and down your arm.
Causes Related to a Pinched Nerve in Neck
The culprits are usually muscles, tendons, or discs. When one of these swells (muscles or tendons) or shifts (all three), it hurts.
For example, when it comes to the neck, a herniated disc in the spinal column could be the source of the problem. Or disc degeneration. Or a swollen tendon. The only way to know is with an x-ray or other device.
From there, we can make a diagnosis and treatment plan.
Now you may wonder what causes a herniated disc, etc. Sometimes it’s related to an injury. If you had a bad accident, that can cause nerve compression. A pinched nerve can also come from repetitive motion or consistently bad posture.
Of course, there can be other factors.
3 Risk Factors for a Pinched Nerve
According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several risk factors. These are three common ones.
Rheumatoid Arthritis – This body inflammation can compress nerves.
Pregnancy – Accompanying bloating and weight gain can cause swelling and put pressure on nerves.
Diabetes – Chronically high sugar levels can damage nerves.
Pinched Nerve Treatment
Of course, anyone who is in pain most wants to know how you can find pain relief.
In some cases, a little rest will take of matters. Some find the pain goes away on its own. For others, though, you’ll find pain relief from hot and cold compresses, gentle yoga, massage therapy, and chiropractic treatments.
If the source of your pain comes from long hours at the computer, then you’ll want to readjust your posture. Raise or lower your computer screen, switch desk chairs. An ergonomic work area will improve your posture and can reduce your nerve compression.
But a herniated disc or a degenerated disc are different. Most will find relief with regular massage and chiropractic treatments.
As you’re able to, simple therapeutic exercises like rolling your rolling your back/shoulder on a golf or tennis ball can help. You can either lie on the floor or stand against the wall and put the ball behind you using the building to support. Then, move your body against the ball so it moves it around. This can give you a gentle or more intense massage in the painful area.
Building strength can also help. But first, you need to find out if you do have a pinched nerve in neck and create a treatment plan. If you’re Doylestown, Pa. come see us at McQuaite Chiropractic. We take most insurance.
It connects your lower body to your upper body via the spinal column, tissue, tendons, and miles of nerves. There’s a place for everything though it’s not hard for parts of your body to shift and sometimes get out of place.
Take a pinched nerve in your lower back for instance.
Why Do Nerves Get Pinched?
When a nerve is pinched is often because a bone, tendon, or other matter has shifted out of place and is pressing on the nerve.
According to The Mayo Clinic, “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.”
Sometimes a pinched nerve in the lower back is related to a herniated disc. Arthritis, a fall or injury, or other health matters can pinch a nerve.
What Are the Symptoms of a Pinched Nerve in the Lower Back?
No matter the cause of the pinched nerve in your lower back, it’s due to compression of the last five vertebrae. You may feel sharp pain, tingling, numbness, and weakness in your lower back all the way to your feet.
How is a Pinched Nerve Diagnosed?
A physical exam with your doctor will help determine if a pinched nerve is the cause of your lower back pain. Do you have a reduced range of motion? Are you experiencing balance problems?
Here at your Doylestown chiropractor, we’ll ask about your medical history. We’ll also conduct an x-ray to see what’s going on in your lower back. Nerves get pinched for many reasons. Our goal is to determine the source of your pain. That way, we can recommend treatment options and help you find relief.
Find Pinched Nerve Pain Relief
There are many ways you can find pinched nerve relief like these.
Gentle Yoga Stretches – If you’re not a yogi, try a beginner class or one that’s called Gentle Yoga or Yin Yoga. These classes typically use props like blankets and blocks to support your body. A skilled teacher will help you find postures that reduce the pressure on your nerve and lower back so that you can find relief.
Acupuncture – Traditional Chinese Medicine uses an ancient system called “meridians” to locate points on your body where tiny needles can be inserted. The needles stimulate a healing response in your body.
Massage Therapy – A skilled massage therapist will work deep into your tissues to help them loosen. Combined with chiropractic adjustments, massage can help your body benefit even more from chiropractic treatment. Why? Because while chiro helps your bones and tendons go back to their rightful places while massage helps them stay there.
Chiropractic Treatment – A chiropractic adjustment may be your quickest solution to pain relief. For many people, a few spinal manipulations will provide near-instant relief which is great for short term pain relief. We’ll craft a treatment plan for your long-term healing.
Of course, there’s no “one and done” solution for a pinched nerve in the lower back. Any treatment will require multiple applications for longer-term pain relief and you may find a combination of things works the best. If you’re in pain and in the Doylestown, PA area, come see us. We’d love to help.
Your body has more than 90 BILLION nerve cells. Each of these carries messages to other parts of your body. Those messages show up as sensations like neck pain or back pain.
If you’re prone to neck pain, you might wonder if you have a pinched nerve.
Like it sounds, it’s pressure on a nerve. Imagine your bones, ligaments, or tendons literally, squeezing your nerve. That nerve pain can send pain radiating through your shoulder or arm. You might find it painful to turn your head from side to side or experience numbness.
The medical term for a pinched nerve in your neck is cervical radiculopathy and symptoms include:
Numbness
Tingling or burning sensation
Muscle weakness
Pain radiating into other areas of your body, for example, a pinched nerve in your neck can cause shoulder or arm pain.
Why would a ligament shift position? There are many reasons, including poor posture, repetitive motions, injury, accident, etc.
As you may know, your body is in a constant state of adjustment. One adjusts for tiny airline seats, your bed, desk chairs, high heels, working at your kitchen table, the list goes on. In fact, virtually everything you do (or wear) requires your body to make some type of adjustment that pulls it out of alignment. Done often enough, you can start feeling like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Even if you don’t feel hunched over, you might still have trouble turning your head without pain.
You could also feel pinched nerve neck pain due to an earlier accident. Scar tissue or even pieces of bone can compress the nerve and an x-ray can show the exact problem. While you wouldn’t want to ignore neck pain, if you did, a pinched nerve could put you at risk for permanent nerve damage and chronic pain.
How Do You Treat a Pinched Nerve in the Neck?
As you know, your body is a complex machine and it may take more than one thing to relieve your pinched nerve neck pain. Here are some ideas for you.
Assess your habits. Do you need a better computer set up? Or a new pillow? As you probably know, the way you sit and sleep will affect your neck. Make sure it’s supported with an ergonomic work area and a supportive pillow.
Have a massage. It loosens up tight muscles and can help relieve the pain.
Chiropractic care can get at the source of the problem and works great in conjunction with massage therapy.
Over the counter NSAIDS like ibuprofen can help reduce pain and swelling
In severe cases, surgery may help.
Some chiropractic patients feel immediate relief from pinched nerve neck pain after one session. As you may know, chiropractors are trained to adjust your body so the ligaments, tendons, and bones find their rightful places, which means they’re no longer pinching your nerves.
At McQuaite Chiropractic in Doylestown, Dr. Jeff McQuaite will x-ray you to find the source of your neck pain and help you map out a treatment plan. You deserve to feel better.
Dr. Jeff McQuaite
McQuaite Chiropractic
295 Logan Street
Doylestown, Pa. 18901 267-247-7000
Office Hours
Mon: 8:30 am – 12 pm, 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Tues: 10 am – 1 pm, 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Weds: 8:30 am – 12 pm, 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Thurs: 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Fri: 8:30 am – 2 pm
Sat: 8:00 am – 10 am
