A pinched nerve can be incredibly painful. Many times a pinched nerve can disrupt your life and limit you from being active. In this blog, we’ll cover what a pinched nerve is and how you can treat it.

What is a pinched nerve?

Put simply, a pinched nerve is when excessive pressure is put on the nerve.

In many cases, a pinched nerve can be caused by pressure from surrounding tissues, bones that are out of alignment, muscles, and tendons.

In other cases, a pinched nerve can because by a traumatic event such as a sports injury or a car accident.

Or, in many worst-case scenarios, pinched nerves can be caused by sitting in the same position for too long.

The most common areas of the body for a pinched nerve include the neck, hip, back, and legs.

The most common symptoms of a pinched nerve can include:

• Pins and needles
• Tingling
• Numbness
• Aching
• Muscle weakness
• Shooting pain
• Loss of cordination

How to Treat a Pinched Nerve

There are several ways to handle and treat a pinched nerve.

1. Find the Trigger Point – a trigger point is an area of constriction or where the pressure is causing the pinched nerve. In order to heal the pinched nerve, chiropractic can often be a great solution for finding the trigger point and making adjustments.
2. Heat and Ice – when the body is hurt, it often has it’s own way of protecting itself. Inflammation or swelling can occur. Thus, heat packs or ice packs can be great solutions for reducing the pain and swelling.
3. Dry Needling – dry needling can be a great way to treat disc problems, arthritis, and other ailments related to the back or spine. Dry needling uses very thin needles that provide a mechanical stimulus to the trigger points and muscles similar to a massaging a muscle to help it relax.
4. Chiropractic Adjustments – chiropractic adjusments are the most obvious treatment for a pinched nerve. Chiropractors can help to move the spine, reset the muscles, and realign the bones and nerves. Chiropractic treatment is also great at examining the balance of the body and identifying trigger points or muscles that may be contributing to the pinched nerve.

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