Many have ever felt a sudden pain that appeared from nowhere, without any reason, severe pain in the arm, leg or lower back, which has a sharp, piercing or other nature. Most likely - this is a pinched nerve.
The reasons that a nerve is pinched can also be various circumstances, for example, a growing tumor that has arisen as a result of hypothermia or infection, displacement or dislocation of the joint, and others. Therefore, before you begin to treat pain, you should find its source and figure out what factors influenced its occurrence.
Symptoms
The primary and most striking symptom of a pinched nerve is pain. Depending on the case, it can vary in strength, character, cause of exacerbation. The pain may be shooting or piercing, burning or stitching. Sometimes it can be constant, sometimes roll attacks. May occur during physical exertion or, conversely, during relaxation.
Often the pain is felt away from the nerve pinched place. For example, in cases when a nerve was pinched in the back, one-sided pain can be felt that spreads when loading on the spine along one of the hands. When a nerve is pinched in the elbow joint, the pain center may be in the wrist of this hand.
Other symptoms of pinched nerves may include redness and swelling of the skin, excessive sweating, loss of sensation, numbness, muscle cramps, spasm of blood vessels, headaches, impaired vision, hearing, coordination.
Causes and consequences
The main causes of pinched nerve are:
- Heavy physical exertion, especially on the spine.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Congenital malformations of the structure of the skeleton, including the back.
- Hypothermia
- Various viral diseases
- Exposure to chemicals, including drugs.
- Various injuries, including trauma to the nerve itself.
The spine is most at risk of exposure to all of the above reasons, and each of them can cause irreparable harm to a person, up to partial or complete paralysis. Therefore, if a nerve is suddenly pinched in the lower back, back or neck, you should not try a new drug on yourself, but you should take a pain medication and be sure to consult a specialist.
Diagnostics
Modern medical institutions have equipment that can accurately find the place where the nerve was pinched and find the reasons that caused this deviation. But, in spite of everything, the most accurate and most popular is the x-ray study, especially in the diagnosis of diseases of the spine.
In case of muscle and skeleton disease, magnetic resonance imaging can also help, which maximizes the effect in combination with computed tomography. Conducting tests using electrodiagnostic studies to determine the electrical conductivity of the nerve fiber also helps confirm the diagnosis or identify pathology.
Treatment
If from a sudden sharp pain it became clear that a nerve was pinched, first of all, it is necessary to take an anesthetic medicine. If pain occurs in the back, the patient’s vertebral section should be relaxed as much as possible, laying on a hard, even surface and placing a pillow under the knees. Call a doctor.
Depending on the causes and diagnosis, the doctor may prescribe medication in combination with physiotherapy or surgery. Drug treatment is aimed at eliminating various inflammations caused by viral and colds. To improve the recovery of damaged tissues, vitamin complexes are prescribed.
Surgical methods for treating nerve pinched nerves are used only as a last resort, when conventional methods do not give a positive result.
A special role in the treatment of pinched nerves is played by physiotherapeutic measures: irradiation with a high frequency of current, ultraviolet irradiation, hydrotherapy with sulfide and radon baths, mud therapy, gymnastics and massage courses.
From traditional medicine, if a nerve is pinched, ointments based on bee and snake venoms are most often used as an anesthetic.