What is a pinched nerve? You might have a pinched nerve if you experience a tingling sensation in your hand or foot. You may also encounter numbness, pain, and muscle weakness. The pinched nerve might develop in any part of the body. You can improve your pinched nerves by getting adequate sleep and rest, stretching and yoga, using ice and heat packs, massaging, and elevating your legs. The Roswell pinched nerve specialist may also help you find relief with extensive treatments. This article explains more about pinched nerves.
What is a pinched nerve?
It occurs when bones or ligaments pressure the nerve surrounding them, irritating. A pinched nerve affects nerve function leading to pain, numbness, and tingling sensation. The nerve compression also interferes with motor function leading to muscle weakness.
A pinched nerve can occur in parts of the body such as the neck, spine, hands, and feet.
What are pinched nerve conditions?
A pinched nerve may lead to conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome affecting your hand sensation and function. Other conditions such as bone spurs, spinal stenosis, and herniated discs may cause nerve or spinal canal compression leading to lumbar and radiculopathy.
Lumbar radiculopathy
It is a condition where the pinched nerve develops in your lower back, also known as the lumbar spine. An excellent example of lumbar radiculopathy is sciatica.
Cervical radiculopathy
The pinched nerve occurs in the cervical spine or the neck.
Radiculopathy can occur anywhere on the spine, but it is common in the lower back. Pinched nerves resulting from radiculopathy cause symptoms that spread to your extremities such as the arms and legs.
What to expect during a pinched nerve evaluation?
Your provider at Apex Spine and Neurosurgery offers a comprehensive evaluation for pinched nerves to create a specific treatment plan. They analyze your symptoms, including when they began and what makes them extreme. Your doctor also conducts a physical exam and diagnostic tests to rule out your diagnosis.
Some diagnostic tests include blood work, nerve conduction study, x-rays, CT scans, and MRIs. The team uses your findings to create an individualized treatment plan.
What are the treatment options for a pinched nerve?
The treatment depends on the affected part of the body, the severity of the symptoms, and the underlying cause. Usually, the neurosurgeons at Apex Spine and Neurosurgery first offer a conservative treatment to relieve your symptoms.
Some available conservative treatments include injections, physical therapy, pain relievers, activity modification, splinting or bracing, and anti-inflammatory medication.
If you do not get relief with conservative treatments, your provider recommends surgical intervention to treat the root cause of your problem. Surgical therapies include disc replacement, spinal decompression, spinal fusion, and microdiscectomy.
The Apex Spine and Neurosurgery team offers minimally invasive techniques to give you the best results.
A pinched nerve causes pain, tingling or burning sensation, and numbness. It may develop at any point in the body, including the back, hands, or neck. Do not hesitate to seek help to relieve your discomfort.
Contact Apex Spine and Neurosurgery today to schedule your consultation.
