Nerve compression syndrome, or compression neuropathy, or nerve entrapment syndrome, is a medical condition caused by chronic, direct pressure on a peripheral nerve. It is known colloquially as a trapped nerve, though this may also refer to nerve root compression.
It is typically the result of repetitive use of the hands but can be the result of other factors such as obesity, diabetes, pregnancy, and hypothyroidism. Patients often report numbness, tingling, and pain that worsens at night.
The most frequently recommended treatment for a pinched nerve is rest for the affected area. Your doctor will ask you to stop any activities that cause or aggravate the compression. Depending on the location of the pinched nerve, you may need a splint, collar or brace to immobilize the area.
So how long does a pinched nerve cause pain and discomfort? In most cases, symptoms improve and nerve function resumes to normal within 6 to 12 weeks of conservative treatment. Conservative treatment options include physical therapy, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen.
After light stretching, consider low-impact aerobic exercise such as walking, cycling and swimming. These activities will increase blood circulation to the damaged nerve, facilitating healing and reducing the pain associated with a pinched nerve.
A pinched nerve can become serious, causing chronic pain, or even lead to permanent nerve damage. Fluid and swelling can do irreversible damage to the nerves, so be sure to contact your provider if your symptoms worsen or don't improve after several days.
A pinched nerve might be tiny, but it will still show up on an MRI scan and provide your doctor with a lot of information on how to proceed. A pinched nerve is what causes your symptoms, so your doctor will want to identify what structures inside the body are compressing or damaging that particular nerve.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common type of entrapment neuropathy. It involves compression of the median nerve, which runs through the arm and controls movement in the thumb and first three fingers (all but the pinky).
Nerve Conduction Study
The presence of ulnar nerve compression can be indicated by slower electrical responses at the cubital tunnel or other parts of the arm. Both nerve conduction studies and electromyography are used to help detect the presence, location, and extent of nerve compression.
In most cases, pinched nerves go away on their own with over-the-counter pain medication and rest. However, in rare cases, they can worsen, causing permanent nerve damage and chronic pain.
Physiatrists and neurosurgeons are the best doctors to treat pinched nerves due to their specialized training in the complicated system of nerves, spine, and pain pathways. That level of expertise helps ensure the best recovery from pinched nerves possible.
Complete recovery of the acutely compressed nerve can range from weeks to years. In contrast, chronic compressions, as seen in carpal tunnel syndrome, are progressively worsening conditions that persist without proper intervention.
Your neurologist can relieve numbness and tingling by reducing the pressure on your nerves using one of the many neuropathy treatment options available. Your doctor will choose the right ones for you depending on your symptoms and their cause.
Electromyography (EMG) is used to record the electrical activity in muscle. It can identify abnormalities in the muscles or nerves resulting from peripheral neuropathy, nerve degeneration or damage to the protective covering (myelin sheath) that surrounds the nerves in your brain or spinal cord.
Surgery for a pinched nerve may be required once the symptoms caused by pressure on the spinal nerves have become chronic or severe. The Bonati Spine Procedures utilize patented instruments and techniques to treat chronic pain caused by pinched nerves in the lumbar, cervical or thoracic spine.
Nerve compression syndrome is a condition wherein muscle tissue in the body is damaged, putting pressure on a nerve connected to a limb (like your shoulder or hip). While the terms nerve compression and pinched nerve or nerve entrapment are often used interchangeably, they are not the same thing.
Your doctor may suggest a combination of NSAIDs, physical therapy, and rest. Another possible nonsurgical approach is injection therapy. Cortisone injections may help reduce inflammation and remove the pressure on your nerve, and stem cellinjections may help your body heal.
Symptoms of nerve compression syndromes tend to come on gradually. The symptoms may come and go and range from mild to severe. These symptoms may get worse when you do activities that pull or press on the nerve. Nerve compression syndromes cause a variety of symptoms depending on which nerve it affects.
Magnesium decreases nerve pain. Clinical experience, as well as research in nerve pain conditions such as pancreatic cancer, has shown that magnesium can be an effective treatment for pain.
Consider sleeping on your back with your arms at your sides or on pillows to keep your elbows and wrists in an ideal position. Do not fold them across your chest. Stomach sleepers beware!
Pain that radiates below the knee is a red flag for a herniated disc or nerve root compression below the L3 nerve root. This is based on the dermatomal distribution of the nerve roots and the fact that the pain associated with inflammation radiates along the entire pathway of the nerve.