Diagnosing a pinched nerve

Pinched nerve?

When nerves become "pinched," injury, spasm and inflammation of the surrounding muscles cause the nerve to become compressed, resulting in pain. The term "pinched nerve" is somewhat of a catch-all phrase that is commonly used to describe the pain associated with a variety of conditions from subluxations, to tunnel syndromes to the referred pain from trigger points in muscles. Most of the time, what is called a pinched nerve is actually an irritated or inflamed nerve where the nerve itself is not actually pinched. In most cases, nerves become irritated and inflamed when the bones, joints or muscles of the spine are not in their proper position or are not moving properly. This condition is called a subluxation, the treatment of which is the specialty of the doctor of chiropractic.

There are certainly many instances when nerves do become "pinched," such as in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Sciatica and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. In each of these cases, injury, spasm or inflammation of the surrounding muscles and connective tissue causes the nerve to become compressed, resulting in pain. These conditions are referred to as "tunnel syndromes." Treating tunnel syndromes is more complex than treating a spinal subluxation, but they usually respond very well to chiropractic care.

Trigger points are very tight "knots" of muscle that form when muscles are either chronically overworked or injured, and are often experienced as a pinching or burning pain. These trigger points often cause pain that radiates to other parts of the body which is also known as referred pain. The successful treatment of trigger points requires a visit to your chiropractor. I have often heard people say that their problem is muscular in nature so they don't believe a chiropractor is needed. As I have mentioned here, muscles are often affected, damaged or inflamed due to a problem within the spine. If there is a subluxation, a misalignment of one or more of the spinal bones, then the muscles often are involved as a result.

It is very important that the cause of any form of pain be properly diagnosed before treating the symptom of pain with a medication. This is especially important when nerves are affected as severe or long term irritation, or compression, of a nerve can lead to permanent nerve damage. If you have been told that you have a "pinched nerve," it is very important that you seek professional care from a chiropractor as soon as possible.

If you would like more information about pinched nerves or chiropractic, please give us a call at (208) 762-1414. You can also find us at CDAHealth.com, or on Facebook and Twitter by searching "Spoelstra Family Chiropractic."