Pinched Nerves

Being “pinched” hurts, so imagine what your nervous system feels when a nerve is being “pinched.” It often feels like a severe, sharp intense pain. “Pinched” nerves can happen nearly anywhere in the body1 and this can affect nerves that go to your arms, fingers, hands, neck, back, shoulders, legs, feet, muscles and internal organs. “Pinched” nerves can affect your health, posture, vitality, resistance to disease, and even your emotional health. Pinched nerves can make your life miserable.

Do nerves actually get “pinched?” This is actually quite rare. What is much more common is misalignment in the vertebral column, causing inflammation around the joint which in turn can cause spinal nerve compression. This is what Chiropractors call vertebral subluxation. Other terms for this include nerve compression, nerve impingement, nerve irritation, spinal stress & meningeal tension.2

The brain and spinal cord are the only organs in the body entirely encased by bone which signifies their importance. Your skeletal system, particularly your spinal column protects your spinal cord and spinal nerves. If your spinal bones (vertebrae) become even slightly misaligned, they may irritate, stretch or cause pressure on the spinal nerves that they are supposed to protect.3-6
This in turn, can cause a variety of problems for other areas of the body. As mentioned earlier, this is called a vertebral subluxation.

Chiropractors are the only trained health professionals that specialise in analysing the spine to detect the presence of vertebral subluxation. At Dynamic Family Chiropractic, we use gentle and effective spinal adjustment techniques to correct the misalignment and release the stress on the spinal nerve that is being “pinched.” Thus, restoring proper function to the area and relieving your pain relatively quickly.

 

1.Robbins SL. Pathologic Basis of Disease. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co. 1974
2. Giles LG. The pathophysiology of zygapophyseal joints. In Haldeman S. (Ed.). Principles & Practice of Chiropractic, Norwalk, CT: Appleton & Lange, 1992:203-205.
3.Benhamou CL, Row C, Tourliere A, et al. Pseudovisceral pain referred from costovertebral arthropathies. SPINE 1993:18:790-795
4. Nathan H. Osteophytes of the spine compressing the sympathetic trunk and splanchnic nerves in the thorax. SPINE 1987;12:527-532
5. Mendelsohn R. The People’s Doctor Newsletter. 1984:8(12)
6. Goldberg P. Questions & Answers about arthritis and rheumatism. Todays Chiropractic July/August 1995.