pinched nerve ·Dec 21, 2022

Muscle & Tendon Strain from a Pinched Nerve

If you've been dealing with chronic pain, it might be due to a pinched nerve. A pinched nerve can cause a variety of symptoms, including muscle spasms, tingling and numbness in the arms or legs. You may have wondered what a pinched nerve actually is and how it affects your body?

What is a pinched nerve?

A pinched nerve is a type of injury, in which the nerve is damaged and causes pain. There are four types of pinched nerves:

Nerve damage
Inflammation of the nerve
Tissue around the nerve is damaged
The nerve is trapped between two bones or between two muscles or between muscle and tendon

What are the symptoms of a pinched nerve?

Here are some of the symptoms of a pinched nerve:

Pain in the back, neck or shoulders. This is often described as a shooting pain that may radiate down an arm or leg.
Pain in the arms and legs. You may feel numbness, tingling and weakness in your arms or legs.
Loss of balance when moving from one position to another (for example, when walking). This can also be due to dizziness caused by the head injury itself rather than from compression on a nerve root (the area where nerves leave the spinal cord). Obviously see your doctor immediately if this is happening.
Difficulty walking because of weakness in one leg due to compression on a nerve root.

What causes a pinched nerve?

There are several causes of a pinched nerve, including:

Muscle strain: Muscles are responsible for moving joints and helping you lift something heavy. When they become overworked, they can become strained and cause pain in the area where they attach to bone.
Tendon strain: Tendons connect muscles to bones, allowing you to move your limbs without having to use your muscles directly on that joint. Overuse or injury can cause tendons to become inflamed or strained which will make it difficult for them to function properly without causing pain.
Injury: If you fall down or hit something with great force (such as falling down a step), it could cause serious damage when combined with other factors such as age and pregnancy.

Muscle spasms in the upper back causing irritation and compression on one or more cervical nerves;
Herniated discs (bulging or ruptured) or slipped vertebrae compressing nearby spinal tissue;
Osteoarthritis degeneration of joints connecting vertebrae together at various levels throughout the body (commonly referred to as Degenerative Disc Disease)

Any type of pinched nerve can be painful, and it is important to have a diagnosis to figure out the best treatment.

A pinched nerve happens when your spinal cord or a nerve root is compressed, putting pressure on the tissues around it. This compression may be caused by something pressing on the nerves, such as a tumor, bone spur, disc herniation, or muscle spasm. A common cause of pinched nerves in the neck is muscle spasms in your upper back that can irritate and compress one or more of your cervical nerves. A common cause of pinched nerves in your low back (lumbar spine) are herniated discs and osteoarthritis degeneration of joints that connect vertebrae together.

Pinched nerves are a common problem, and they can happen in any number of places.

Some of the most common areas where you might get a pinched nerve include:

The neck

The shoulder and upper back

The lower back

The hip and thigh

The elbow or wrist

Types of pinched nerve

Pinched nerves are a common cause of pain and discomfort. They can occur anywhere in your body, but most often they are found in your neck and back. There are many different types of pinched nerves, each with its own specific causes and symptoms. If you think you may have a pinched nerve, it is important to get an accurate diagnosis so that treatment can begin as soon as possible. Here we will discuss some common types of pinched nerve and how they differ from one another:

Carpal tunnel

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a most common nerve compression problem. This condition occurs when tendons, muscles, ligaments and bones in your wrist press on the median nerve as it travels through a narrow passageway called the carpal tunnel. If you experience numbness, tingling or weakness in your fingers or hand due to carpal tunnel syndrome, there are several treatment options available to help relieve your symptoms.

Sciatica

When the sciatic nerve is compressed, it can cause your leg to feel numb or weak. Sciatica is a common symptom of pinched nerves, and it usually affects people who are middle-aged or older.

Sciatica can be caused by compression of the sciatic nerve by a herniated disc (slipped disc), spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal column), or piriformis syndrome, in which an injury or muscle spasm causes inflammation in a muscle that runs from your pelvis down to your thigh bone. If you have these conditions and you don't treat them properly, they may lead to chronic pain and disability.

Herniated disc

A herniated disc occurs when a disc bulges or ruptures, causing the jelly-like substance in the middle of the disc to leak out and press on nearby nerves. A herniated disc can cause pain, weakness and numbness in various parts of your body.

It’s common for people with a herniated disk to experience pain along their sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back down into each leg, but other areas are also affected. For example:

Pain may be felt in one leg or both legs as well as one foot or both feet
Numbness may occur above or below where you feel pain (for example, if you have a herniated disk located near your lower back)

How is a pinched nerve diagnosed?

A medical professional will perform a physical exam to determine whether you have a pinched nerve. They'll also look for possible causes of your pain, such as dislocation or fractures in your joints.

If the doctor suspects that you have a pinched nerve, he or she may order one of these tests:

CT scan: This test takes X-rays from different angles to create cross-sectional images of tissues in your body. Doctors use CT scans to diagnose many diseases and conditions.
MRI: It's similar to a CT scan but uses magnetic fields instead of X-rays so doctors can see soft tissues like muscles and tendons more clearly than they can with an ordinary X-ray. An MRI scan creates detailed images of organs inside the body without exposing people to radiation like conventional x-rays do.*

Can I prevent a pinched nerve?

Since you can't control when a pinched nerve will occur, it's critical to take measures to prevent them. Here are some tips that could help:

Avoid activities that put pressure on your spine. This includes lifting heavy objects, bending at the waist or repetitively twisting your body in ways that twist and compress the vertebrae of your spine.
Avoid sitting for long periods of time without getting up to stretch or walk around every so often. These breaks allow muscles in the lower back to relax and recuperate while also preventing compression of nerves between vertebrae in the lower spine (the lumbar region).
If you sit for long hours, do spinal stretches before and after work as well as during breaks from sitting. Here are some examples of spinal stretches:

👉Spinal stretches can help to alleviate back pain and other issues with the spine. They are a great way to improve flexibility and reduce pain.

👉 Chest Stretch: This is a great way to loosen up your back muscles and stretch your chest at the same time.

The Cat/ Cow Stretch: This is a great exercise for warming up the spine and stretching your back muscles. Position yourself in a ‘table top’ pose (hands and knees on the floor so you resemble a ‘table’). Curve your lower back up, towards the ceiling, engage your core, while bringing your head down (cat). Then tilt your head and pelvic towards the ceiling, arching your back so your belly button is getting closer to the floor (cow). Continue to breath deeply through these poses.
The Cobra Stretch: This stretch works to open up your chest and shoulders, as well as strengthen your abdominal muscles! Lie on the floor facing down, gently push your chest upwards using your hands. This is a gentle chest and shoulder opener and warms the muscles in the back, abdomen and shoulders. Keep your legs outstretched behind you, tops of the feet on the ground, with toes pointed.

👉Forward Bend: This stretch helps open up your hips and lower back, which can relieve tension in those areas. Tilt forward from the hips and gently try to touch the floor with your finger tips.

👉Hip Flexor Stretch: If you have tight hip flexors, this stretch can help you ease them out so they aren't putting pressure on your lower back muscles when they are flexed (as they often are during exercise). ‘Warrior 1’ pose or a forward lunge is a great hip flexor stretch. Stand straight and then step forward with your right leg (so you are in a split stance). Lower your right knee so it’s a 90 degree angle to the floor. This will stretch your hip flexors!

Strengthen core muscles by doing exercises such as planks:

👉 Lie facedown with forearms flat on ground palms facing each other above shoulder height. Lift your torso off the floor into a straight line position by contracting abdominal muscles. Partial plank (knees on the floor) or full planks (body fully outstretched) are great options to help build your strength slowly over time. Hold your chosen form of plank for 20 seconds before relaxing back down onto the floor again

How is a pinched nerve treated?

Your doctor may prescribe physical therapy or various other options depending on the severity of the condition. If your symptoms do not improve after 3 months of conservative treatment, your physician may recommend surgery.

Surgery is sometimes necessary to treat a pinched nerve. Surgery can be performed as either an open or minimally invasive procedure depending on the location of the injury and its severity. Open surgery involves making a large incision (cut) in the skin to access and repair damage caused by a pinched nerve while minimal invasion requires only small incisions around the area where nerves were compressed or damaged due to pressure from bony structures such as bones or ligaments (tendons).

A doctor can help you determine if you have a pinched nerve and help you treat it.

A pinched nerve is a common cause of pain in the arms and legs. The pain can be sharp or dull, constant or intermittent, and it may be felt in one spot or spread out over several areas. If you have these symptoms:

Pain that travels down your arm or leg and then radiates to a different area (for example, if you have pain in your shoulder that travels down your arm and then radiates to the back of your hand).
Pain that causes pins-and-needles sensations when you move or touch parts of your body near where you're feeling discomfort (for instance, if touching the back of your neck makes it feel like there are needles sticking into it).
Sharp shooting pains at night when lying flat on your back (also called "lumbar radiculopathy").

🧑🏿‍⚕️If you think you might have a pinched nerve, see a doctor. A doctor can help you determine if you have a pinched nerve and help you treat it. Your doctor will be able to work with you to develop a treatment plan. If the pain does not go away, then your doctor may recommend physical therapy or surgery (in rare cases).

References

We pride ourselves on being thoroughly researched before we post blog posts, articles or webpages. Here is a list of references used to create this content:

👉Ref 1: Pinched Nerve, Mayo Clinic

👉Ref 2: Pinched Nerves, Cleveland Clinic

👉Ref 3: Pinched Nerve, Cedars - Sinai

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