Four Basic Causes of a Pinched Nerve
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Wednesday, November 12, 2014

If you have been diagnosed with a pinched nerve or feel like you have a pinched nerve, you more than likely have been experiencing an irritated, burning, “pins and needles,” or numb feeling in the area that is affected, which is usually the back, neck, or shoulders. Those experiencing a pinched nerve will often times have headaches or feel pain radiating or tingling down their arms, legs and sometimes even their toes. Other symptoms can be a limited range of motion, muscle spasms, and even trouble sitting, standing, or sleeping, especially for long periods at a time.

So, how did you get to this point? Here are four basic causes to help explain why you may be experiencing a pinched nerve.

  1. Subluxation or Misalignment

    A pinched nerve is often caused by a subluxation, which is a misalignment of a spinal bone that puts pressure on and/or irritates a spinal nerve. These spinal nerves are what come out and control and coordinate different parts of the body so a misalignment can easily cause pain and different types of muscle spasms throughout the body.

  2. Disc Degeneration

    A disc in your spine is the space that acts as a cushion between the bones and functions as a type of shock absorber. After the disc experiences some wear and tear, so to speak, it will lose its height and get thinner and start to degenerate. When this area begins to degenerate it will make the hole that the nerve comes out smaller. This hole where the nerves come out of your spine is the intervertebral foramina. As the intervertebral foramina hole gets smaller due to disc degeneration it allows less room for the nerve to exit and can put pressure on the nerve.

  3. Osteoarthritis

    This disease is caused by degenerative joints. Since there are joints on the backside of the intervertebral foramina, often times osteoarthritis can cause degeneration or bone spurs that can crowd into the intervertebral foramina hole and put pressure on the nerve.

  4. Disc Protrusions or Disc Herniation

    This cause of a pinched nerve comes when the disc in your spine protrudes or herniates out and pushes up on or comes close to the nerve and irritates the nerve, which comes out and shoots down into the arms, legs, and other different parts of the body. Everyday, normal movements can cause the herniated disc to rub against the nerve and cause painful feeling and irritation. The more protruded the disc is, the greater the pressure that is placed on the nerve, causing a pinched nerve.

Pinched nerves can come from any of these four causes, sometimes even all four at the same time. Due to irritation and inflammation from all four of these causes, a pinched nerve can also sometimes result in a chemical neuritis, or having the nerves irritated chemically.

If you have been diagnosed or think you are experiencing a pinched nerve, try chiropractic care to help ease your pain today.

 

Resources: Kempsville Chiropractic

Yucha Chiropractic & Massage provides chiropractic treatment to help people live more productive and active lives. Common treated conditions include pinched nerves, sciatica, migraine headaches, and herniated (slipped discs). The Yucha office is located in Pottstown, PA, but serves patients from surrounding areas including Boyertown and Limerick.

Posted by: Caitlin Rickard

 
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Yucha Medical Pain Management & Chiropractic Rehabilitation is located in Pottstown, PA, but provides chiropractic threatment, massage therapy, and decompression therapy to patients in surrounding areas including Limerick, Chester Springs, Boyertown, Gilbertsville, and Royersford.
 
 
Medical Pain Management and Chiropractor in the following areas: Pottstown, Limerick, Chester Springs, Boyertown, Gilbertsville and Royersford