Are you experiencing a pinched nerve in your neck?
Pinched nerve is a term that gets thrown around very loosely in the world of neck pain. Many people that are diagnosed with this type of injury will feel a “pinch” with some sort of movement of the body or head.
So then what’s a true pinched nerve?
A true pinched nerve is the compression of a nerve between two structures in your spine. Most often this occurs between an intervertebral disc (bulging or herniated) and an adjacent part of a vertebrae. A patient will feel a constant ache in that area of their neck when a nerve is “pinched” in this way. At it’s most severe state, there will be noticeable pain. In addition, there may be tingling and numbness down the arm or into the shoulder blade area. This problem, since it’s only affecting one single nerve, will only affect one extremity on one side of the body. Without the burning, tingling or numbness in an area, this diagnosis is highly unlikely.
OK, it’s not nerve compression, so then what do I have?
When is it not? It’s not a pinched nerve when you’re feeling a sharp localized pain when turning your head in a certain direction. Again, this is if the pain stays in one small area and doesn’t radiate. This is a more common problem related to the formation of adhesion in the muscles of your neck. This adhesion creates compression within the joints of the spine causing sharp or achy pain.
A true pinched nerve and adhesion, as defined above, can be resolved by seeing a soft tissue minded manual therapist. At Prime Spine Associates, we can discuss treatment options that’ll reduce all biomechanical dysfunction around the area of the problem, reducing compression on the nerve and relieving your pain.
Call our Elma chiropractic office today at 716-677-5525!
Certified in Advanced Chiropractic Care
