Pinched Nerve

The term “pinched nerve” is very common when someone describes pain. This is due to the fact that every person and every body part is at risk of having this type of pain. Pinched nerves happen when pressure is applied to a peripheral nerve and it becomes irritated. A peripheral nerve is any nerve that is along the spine or outside the brain. Since the spine is the communication line for the body and the brain, these nerves, if irritated, affect the body overall.

Whenever a body part “falls asleep” or gets the feeling of pins and needles, there is a potential for nerve damage because that is when a nerve is being pinched. This can come from something as simple as crossing your legs constantly or having bad posture. If it is stopped right away, the nerve can usually fix itself, however, if the nerve constantly gets pinched, it can cause irreparable damage.

The tingling, pins and needles sensation is the first symptoms of nerve damage. Many people will notice it right away and adjust to make it go away. However, the harder it is to make the feeling go away, the more pinched the nerve is. In some cases, the muscle can become weaker and weaker, since the nerve is where the nerve controls the functions of it. This can also make the muscle decrease in size and mobility.

The first, and easiest way to treat a pinched nerve is to just rest the affected area, and a doctor would recommend restraining from any activity that would agitate the muscle or nerve. If at that point it has not improved, a regimen of pain medications and physical therapy would be prescribed to relax the muscles but also try to work out the pinched area. If a diagnosis proves that these treatments would not work, surgery can be recommended to work out the pinched nerve. Orthopedic Spinecare of Long Island is fully equipped to diagnose and treat pinched nerve pain with our on-site MRI machine, CAT Scan, and other radiological services.