Pinched Nerve?

Question:

I think I have a pinched nerve. My neck is real stiff this morning and I barely got any sleep last night because I had a nagging pain from my elbow down to my hand/wrist. So, I assume it's a pinched nerve. Do I wait it out, or call the doc for a pain killer?? What's the remedy??

Answers:
I am a Neuromuscular Therapist.

Pinched nerves rarely occur and when they do the pain is debilitating and excruciating. You may have overly tight muscles in your neck, shoulder or arm that are squeezing on nerves, but that is not the same as a pinched nerve.

I find that your kind of pain is almost always caused by hypertonic (overly tight) muscles. The nerves and blood vessels that supply your arm and shoulder originate in your neck, so if you have hypertonic neck muscles blood flow and nerves will be affected. The problem may also be caused by hypertonic muscles in your forearms.

Moist heat and ice may alleviate your pain for the short term but you really should seek professional help. Muscles do not develop problems overnight like yours have. The tension and pain you feel are an indicator of bigger muscular problems that have probably been there a long time. A little added physical or emotional stress is all it takes to send these muscles into spasm.

Since your problem is most likely muscular in nature you should go to a muscle specialist like a Neuromuscular Therapist. NMT's are highly trained in deep corrective massage and stretching in addition to postural assessment. They will be able to determine what is causing the pain, correct it with massage and stretching, and teach you self-help in order to avoid or minimize the causes. The source of the pain is rarely where you actually feel the pain. It would be a mistake to focus solely on your neck and arm as the problem. In my experience the cause of this type of pain is usually due to postural issues and muscular overload and those conditions MUST be corrected first before you'll see any permanent solution.

The best cure is a chiropractic adjustment, ibuprofen, and ice.

Wait it out.

Same as you'd do with just about any other non-permanent condition. It might hurt now, but it'll be gone soon enough and its really not a big deal.

Yes, its probably just a pinched nerve.

If you're that fussed about it, take a pain-killer yourself. a pill or something. Won't take much to fix it.

I would go to a dr. right away cause it could be an infection or virus those will cause the same symptoms.

Is this the first time it's happened? If it's just the first, then I suggest a hot shower or bath. Also a moist heating pad on your neck and shoulder. Ibuprofen to reduce pain and inflammation. When it is warm, stretch your neck gently and move your arm around. You should be feeling much better tomorrow. We all get this. You don't need a doctor of any kind.

It doesn't really sound like a pinched nerve - could be tension putting pressure on some nerves. Usually this type of thing doesn't get better by itself, so it would be good to see a doc. May need a muscle relaxer or something like that. In the mean time you can put ice of your stiff neck muscles, or alternate heat with cold (don't use heat exclusively as it can increase swelling & aggrevate symptoms). You can take buffered aspirin, tylenol or ibuprofen as directed to treat symptoms (take with food or milk). Stretching and range of motion exercises (putting joints through their full range of motion) can increase blood flow to muscles/joints and relax them. Also evaluating your pillow & how you sleep may give some insight into stiff neck muscles. Try progressive relaxation exercises prior to going to sleep. A glass of milk 30 min prior to bedtime also helps. Good luck :-)

Could it be repetitive injury with a carpal tunnel syndrome?

That appears as a significant enough problem to want to find out what is cousing it..If you are subject to this sort of problem, it would be adviseable to find it and attempt to prevent its recurrance. When it involves a nerve to this extent, it is worthy of investigation.

Pinched Nerve?

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