Treating a Pinched Nerve

Could your neck pain, headaches or tingling be caused by a pinched nerve? The chiropractors at King Chiropractic in Potomac, Gaithersburg, Urbana and Clarksburg, MD, share information about pinched nerves and explain how chiropractic treatments can relieve your symptoms.

What are the symptoms of a pinched nerve?

Pinched nerves can cause a variety of symptoms depending on which nerve is affected. Common symptoms include:

• Pain in your back, neck, arm or shoulders, legs, buttocks or feet
• Headache
• Pain that travels down the length of your arm or leg
• Sciatica
• Weakness in your arm, leg, hand or foot
• Numbness, tingling or burning sensations

What causes pinched nerves?

The condition occurs when nerves become compressed and irritated. A pinched nerve may occur if you often perform the same motions over and over again, a bone in your spine moves out of alignment, you have osteoarthritis or spinal stenosis, or a disc that cushions the vertebrae bulges and presses on a nerve.

How do chiropractors treat pinched nerves?

Treatment depends on the cause of your pinched nerve. If your symptoms are caused by the misalignment of your spine, manual adjustments will help move the spine back into the optimum alignment. In addition to improving alignment, manipulations also help reduce inflammation, reduce pain, increase blood circulation and promote healing. Spinal mobilization, a technique that slowly decreases tension in your spine and tissues and restores normal alignment, can also be helpful.

Ice packs, heat applications and massage are often used to treat pinched nerve symptoms. Massage not only relaxes tight muscles and tissues, but may also reduce the frequency of headaches, relieve the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and improve your range of motion. Other treatments that we may recommend when you visit our Potomac, Gaithersburg, Urbana and Clarksburg offices include:

• Traction, used to stretch the spine and relieve pressure on the nerves
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), a therapy that relieves pain using a gentle electrical current
• Ultrasound therapy to loosen painful muscles, speed healing and reduce muscles spasms.

Ease your pinched nerve symptoms with chiropractic treatment. Schedule an appointment with the Chiropractors at King Chiropractic by calling (240) 430-7103 for the Potomac office, (301) 926-5200 for the Gaithersburg office, (301) 874-9002 for the Urbana office or (240) 745-2151 for the Clarksburg office.