Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 4: Recognize the Symptoms
• Part 2 of 4: Assess Your Risk
• Part 3 of 4: Treating with Home Remedies
• Part 4 of 4: Seek Medical Help
• Tips

Nowadays, almost everyone is faced with diseases of the back and spine. A common painful problem that affects the back and cervical spine is pinched nerves, whether in the lower back, chest, or neck. As we age, human fibrous cartilage hardens and loses its correct shape, which leads to pinching of the nerve endings. However, there are other causes of pinched nerves. To make sure you are suffering from this particular problem, read this article.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Recognize the Symptoms

1. 1 Notice if you are having trouble sleeping. Some people with a pinched nerve complain of trouble sleeping because their pain gets worse at night. It is difficult for these people to find a comfortable sleeping position because no matter how they lie down, they experience severe back pain.
   • If you sleep on your back or on your side (like most people), your spine and neck, as well as the nerve endings in these areas, are put under additional pressure, which leads to worse pain from the pinched nerve.
2. 2 Note muscle weakness. This symptom is caused by the signals sent from the brain to our muscles travel through the nerves. If a nerve is pinched or pinched, its functionality decreases. The more the nerve is pinched, the weaker your muscles become.
   • This symptom is especially troublesome if the pinched nerve is in the wrist, as it affects the functionality of the thumb, index, and middle fingers and affects your ability to grip and grip strength.
3. 3 Pay attention to the tingling sensation. The medical term for this sensation is "paresthesia." With this symptom, a person feels a tingling sensation of the skin in a specific area of ​​the body. The reason for this symptom is that when nerves are pinched, their functionality is limited, resulting in a tingling sensation, pain and weakness in the affected area of ​​the body.
4. 4 Check if you experience severe pain. This is one of those symptoms that simply cannot be ignored. The pain may worsen when coughing, sneezing, or sitting, as these actions increase the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid, but this symptom can be relieved by resting in a horizontal position (especially in the lumbar region).
   • Acute lower back pain can radiate to the buttocks and legs. In the same way, upper back pain can be felt in the shoulders and even arms. Bending, loading, and raising the limbs will only make the pain worse.
5. 5 Pay attention to numbness. A tickling sensation can be present in any part of the body that is affected by a pinched nerve. When nerves are pinched, they lose their ability to transmit signals from the brain to the muscles, which affects our sense of touch, causing numbness in the affected parts of the body. The pinched nerve just stops working.
   • Numbness of the skin in places of pinched nerves usually occurs in the legs and feet. Because of this, your gait, spinal mobility, reflexes, leg length, motor ability and sense of touch can also be affected.
6. 6 Notice if you are out of balance. A pinched nerve can imbalance your balance because you lose communication with certain parts of your body. This is due to the fact that some of the signals that need to reach our muscles and body are interrupted. They simply do not travel from the brain to their final destination, so you lose certain sensations. When this happens, you lose the ability to feel things, which leads to a loss of balance.

Part 2 of 4: Assess Your Risk

1. 1 Know that you are more prone to pinching your nerve endings if you weigh more than you need to. Being overweight can make people more prone to pinched nerves because being overweight puts additional pressure on the nerves (as it does on all other parts of the body and organs).
   • Thyroid conditions (such as hypothyroidism) can lead to obesity, so if you suffer from these conditions, you are also prone to pinched nerves. The same is true for people who suffer from diabetes and other conditions that cause weight problems.
2. 2 Know that your gender also plays a role. Women are more prone to pinched nerves because they are more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome, which is where numbness and tingling is felt in the thumb, middle, and index fingers.
   • This syndrome does not affect the back, but it does damage the hands and palms.
   • With pregnancy and weight gain, women become even more prone to pinching their nerves.
3. 3 Rheumatoid arthritis is also a risk factor. In rheumatoid arthritis, swelling of the joints occurs, which compresses the nerves located in the joints, and from compression to pinching of a nerve is a stone's throw.
   • If your family has a history of arthritis, or if your arthritis worsens, it is recommended that you start treatment immediately to prevent pinched nerves. Arthritis does not have to be serious, but it can become so if left untreated.
4. 4 If your relative has a pinched nerve, you are more prone to this condition. Some people have a predisposition for pinched nerves due to genetic inheritance. Ask your family members if anyone has suffered from a pinched nerve and if they know anyone in your family who has had this disorder.
   • If your family has genetic abnormalities that lead to obesity - and arthritis - then you are more likely to have a pinched nerve as a symptom of these conditions.
5. 5 Take bone spurs into account as well. This condition makes our spine hard and lose its flexibility. This, in turn, makes the space for our nerves in the spinal cord narrower, eventually causing a pinched nerve in the back.
   • Bone growths usually form at the joints of bones, that is, in the joints. However, they can also form at the joints of the bones in the spine. These growths are called osteophytes and are small bony growths that form at the edges of the bones. Not great for your nerves at all!
6. 6 Posture also plays a role. Poor posture makes a person prone to pinched nerves because it can irritate the peripheral nerves due to pressure on the nerves in the spine. When you sit in the wrong position, your spine is knocked out of alignment, which happens to your nerves.
   • If you think your poor posture may be causing your back pain, read the wikiHow articles on how to improve your posture and how to improve your posture while sleeping.

Part 3 of 4: Treating with Home Remedies

1. 1 Use damp heat. Take a towel and wet it under warm water. Apply a towel to the area of ​​pinched nerves 3 to 4 times a day for 15 to 20 minutes. Replace the towel if it starts to cool.
   • Be sure to use warm water so as not to scald with hot water, especially if the affected area of ​​the body is numb and you cannot clearly feel the temperature of the towel.
2. 2 Get a massage. Applying pressure to the pinched nerve through massage can help relieve pain and tension. The massage should be gentle ("not sharp") in the area of ​​the pinched nerve, which goes without saying.
   • For example, if the pinched nerve is in the wrist, gently massage the area around the wrist; if it is in the spine, massage the area around the spine but NOT the spine itself. It is best to use circular motions.
3. 3 Eat potassium-fortified foods. A lack of potassium in the body can sometimes lead to pinched nerves. To avoid potassium deficiency, make sure you are consuming enough potassium-rich foods.
   • Bananas and avocados are excellent sources of potassium. You can also take potassium in the form of dietary supplements, but check with your doctor first. Supplements are not suitable for all people.
4. 4 Get more calcium. It will help you heal the pinched nerve. You can find calcium in dietary supplements at your pharmacy, or get a prescription for calcium from your doctor. Check with your doctor before taking this supplement.
   • Dairy products like cheese and milk are excellent sources of calcium. You can also eat vegetables such as spinach and kale (great for vegans).
5. 5 Don't forget to rest. Stress and exercise will only make your pain worse. Rest can help relieve pain and tension caused by a pinched nerve. Most people get rid of a pinched palate within days or weeks if they get enough rest.
   • Avoid stressing too much at work to prevent the pain from worsening. When lifting or pulling objects, keep your body in the correct shape so as not to exert too much effort. If you are unsure of how to properly move your body, talk to a physical therapist.
   • If you have a particularly severe pinched nerve, then you may need a bed rest period. People who suffer from very severe pain should limit their activity for 1 to 2 days. However, extended periods of inactivity will not be effective in this case.
6. 6 Exercise regularly. Initially, do low-intensity aerobic exercise, such as walking or running. Exercise 30 minutes every day, doing light activities like walking, cycling, or yoga.
   • After two weeks, start doing trunk exercises. Consult with a physical therapist to develop the best exercise program that will improve your flexibility and relieve your back pain.
7. 7 Monitor your posture and body position. This is the key to avoiding re-pinching of the nerves. Here are the details of how you need to hold your body when standing, sitting, lying down or lifting heavy objects:
   • Standing: When standing for a long time, rest your legs one at a time by placing them on a short stool or box to relieve lower back pain.
   • Sitting: Sit on straight-backed chairs that provide good back support. To prevent your back from bending in the lower back, pull your buttocks under you. It is imperative to have good back support; use a soft pad to provide lumbar support.
   • Lying: When lying on your side, place one pillow under your head and the other between your legs, bending your legs at your hips and knees. While lying on your back, place a second pillow under your knees to relieve pressure from your lower back.
   • Lifting items: When lifting heavy objects, keep your back straight and keep the object as close to your body as possible. Sit down, keeping your back straight when lifting something heavy from the floor. Do not twist your torso, lift weights above the waist, or stretch upward for a long time.

Part 4 of 4: Seek Medical Help

1. 1 Get a physical exam. Your doctor can find out more about your pinched nerve in several ways. Here's what he can do:
   • Nerve conduction study... This test measures the electrical nerve impulses and the functioning of your muscles and nerves, and shows if you have pinched nerves.
   • Electromyography... During this procedure, the doctor inserts needle electrodes into your skin in the area of ​​various muscles. The procedure is aimed at assessing the electrical assessment of your muscles in both contracted and relaxed states. If there is damage to the nerves that are responsible for the correct functioning of the muscles, then your results will return positive.
   • MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)... This procedure is used if the doctor suspects that you are suffering from pinched nerve endings.
2. 2 If your concerns are confirmed and you do suffer from a pinched nerve, start seeing a physical therapist. He will show you exercises to strengthen and stretch the muscles in the affected area of ​​the body to relieve pressure from the nerves. This is the fastest path to rehabilitation.
   • It is very important to do these exercises under the supervision of a professional. Doing exercises to strengthen your back muscles without proper supervision can only worsen your condition.
3. 3 Consider taking special medications, such as analgesics and pain relievers. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen can relieve pain and inflammation around damaged nerves.
   • Usually, for acute pain, it is worth taking 200-400 mg of NSAIDs every 6-8 hours, not exceeding the daily norm of 1200 mg; for people weighing less than 60 kg, the total daily dose should not exceed 200 mg / day.
4. 4 Consider epidural steroid injections. This treatment is most often used when the sciatic nerve is pinched in the legs. This procedure can relieve pain and heal the damaged nerve. The procedure itself is quite simple: you come to the doctor and you are given an injection of steroids into your spine.
5. 5 Ask your therapist to show you how to relieve pain. First of all, you are advised to purchase a firm, non-sagging mattress. Here are some techniques your physical therapist can show you to help relieve back pain:
   • Perform lumbar curls by lifting your head 30 degrees using a pillow or foam block and bending your knees slightly with a second pillow underneath.
   • You can also lie on your side with your knees and pelvis bent and one pillow between your legs and the other under your head.
   • Do not lie on your stomach, as this position emphasizes lordosis (internal curvature of the lumbar and cervical spine).
6. 6 Remember, you can also have surgery. For chronic pinched nerves that cannot be relieved with medication and therapy and that gets worse over time), surgery may be recommended. Typically, this option begins to be considered after 6 to 12 weeks of conventional treatment.
   • Surgery is also recommended in cases where several nerves are damaged at the same time or when the functionality of the nerves begins to decline in several areas of the body.
   • This operation is called "discectomy." It includes the removal of bony growths or parts of the lumbar disc damaged by a hernia; some of the vertebrae will be removed or fused together.

Tips

• Limit bed rest, but when lying down, always bend your knees to relieve tension from your back.
• Try non-pharmacological treatments, such as using heating pads or visiting a chiropractor.
• Lose excess weight if necessary. Change your diet to achieve a healthy weight.