Chiropractic Care for a Pinched Nerve
A pinched nerve can cause much more than pain in one spot. Depending on which nerve is irritated or compressed, you may experience burning, tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain that travels from your neck into your shoulder, arm, or hand—or from your lower back into your hip, buttock, leg, or foot.
At Total Health Chiropractic in Coralville, IA, Dr. Dillon Hammes, Dr. Andrew Donnelly, and our team evaluate patients with symptoms that may be associated with a pinched or irritated nerve. Rather than simply focusing on where you feel the pain, we look at what may be contributing to your symptoms and determine which conservative treatment options may be appropriate.
What Is a Pinched Nerve?
“Pinched nerve” is a common term used to describe a nerve that is being compressed, irritated, or otherwise affected by surrounding structures. Nerves branch from the spinal cord and travel throughout the body, which is why a problem involving a nerve in your neck or lower back can sometimes cause symptoms somewhere else.
For example, irritation involving a nerve in the cervical spine may produce symptoms that extend into the shoulder, arm, or hand. A nerve affected in the lower back may cause pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness that travels into the buttock, hip, leg, or foot.
The important thing to remember is that a pinched nerve describes what may be happening to a nerve—not necessarily why it is happening. Determining the underlying cause is an important part of deciding how the problem should be treated.
What Does a Pinched Nerve Feel Like?
Pinched nerve symptoms can vary considerably from person to person. Some people experience a sharp or burning pain, while others primarily notice numbness, tingling, weakness, or a “pins and needles” sensation.
Common symptoms may include:
- Neck or back pain
- Pain that travels into an arm or leg
- Tingling or “pins and needles”
- Numbness in the arm, hand, leg, or foot
- Burning or electric-like sensations
- Muscle weakness
- Symptoms that worsen with certain positions or movements
- Difficulty sitting, standing, walking, sleeping, or performing everyday activities
Symptoms may be constant or come and go. Certain movements, prolonged sitting, standing, bending, lifting, or sleeping positions may make them worse.
Because several conditions can produce similar symptoms, an examination can help determine whether nerve irritation is involved and what may be causing it.
What Causes a Pinched Nerve?
A nerve can become irritated or compressed for several reasons. When symptoms originate in the spine, possible contributing factors can include a herniated or bulging disc, degenerative changes, restricted joint movement, inflammation, or other mechanical problems affecting the neck or lower back.
Injuries can also play a role. A car accident, sports injury, fall, lifting injury, or repetitive physical activity may affect the spine and surrounding tissues and contribute to nerve-related symptoms.
Sometimes symptoms develop gradually rather than following a single injury. Repetitive movements, physical demands at work, prolonged sitting, and other stresses can contribute to musculoskeletal problems that may affect surrounding nerves.
Identifying what is contributing to the nerve irritation helps us determine whether chiropractic care or another conservative treatment may be appropriate.
How We Evaluate Pinched Nerve Symptoms
If you are searching for a chiropractor for a pinched nerve near Coralville or Iowa City, an appropriate evaluation is an important first step.
At Total Health Chiropractic, we will ask where your symptoms occur, when they started, whether they travel into an arm or leg, which movements or positions make them better or worse, and whether you have experienced a recent or previous injury.
Your examination may include an assessment of your spinal movement, mobility, posture, strength, and relevant orthopedic or neurological findings.
Total Health Chiropractic also has digital X-rays available in-house when imaging is clinically appropriate. Not every patient with pinched nerve symptoms needs X-rays, and additional imaging or referral may sometimes be recommended depending on your symptoms and examination findings.
Chiropractic Care for a Pinched Nerve
Can a chiropractor help a pinched nerve? For appropriately selected patients, chiropractic care may be one component of a conservative treatment plan when mechanical or musculoskeletal problems are contributing to nerve irritation.
Treatment is individualized according to what we find during your examination. Chiropractic care may focus on improving spinal and joint movement, addressing areas of restricted mobility, reducing mechanical stress, and improving overall musculoskeletal function.
Your care should not be based solely on the fact that you have symptoms commonly described as a “pinched nerve.” The location of the nerve irritation, its possible cause, the severity of your symptoms, and your overall health all help determine which treatment approach is appropriate.
Pinched Nerve in the Neck
A pinched nerve in the neck may cause more than neck discomfort. When a cervical nerve root becomes irritated, symptoms can sometimes extend into the shoulder, arm, hand, or fingers.
You may notice pain, numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness on one side of the upper body. Certain neck positions or movements may aggravate the symptoms.
Disc problems are one possible cause. A bulging or herniated cervical disc can sometimes affect a nearby nerve root and contribute to radiating symptoms. Other mechanical or degenerative changes in the cervical spine may also be involved.
If your neck pain is accompanied by arm or hand symptoms, evaluating the source of the problem can help determine the appropriate next step.
Pinched Nerve in the Lower Back
A pinched nerve in the lower back can produce symptoms in the back itself, but nerve-related symptoms may also extend into the buttock, hip, leg, or foot.
One familiar example is sciatica. Sciatica describes symptoms associated with irritation involving nerve roots that contribute to the sciatic nerve. Patients may experience pain, tingling, numbness, burning, or weakness that travels from the lower back or buttock into the leg.
Herniated or bulging discs, degenerative disc changes, inflammation, and other mechanical problems involving the lumbar spine may contribute to nerve irritation.
Because not every case of leg pain is caused by a pinched nerve or sciatica, an examination is important before deciding how the condition should be treated.
Spinal Decompression for Certain Pinched Nerves
When a pinched or irritated nerve is associated with certain spinal disc problems, spinal decompression therapy may be considered.
Total Health Chiropractic offers IDD Therapy®, a non-surgical form of spinal decompression for appropriately selected patients with conditions including herniated and bulging discs, degenerative disc disease, sciatica, and certain types of back pain.
Spinal decompression is not appropriate for every pinched nerve. Dr. Hammes or Dr. Donnelly can evaluate your symptoms and examination findings to determine whether decompression may be beneficial for your particular condition.
Rehabilitation and Other Conservative Treatment Options
Pinched nerve treatment does not necessarily involve a single therapy. Depending on what is contributing to your symptoms, your treatment plan may incorporate chiropractic care along with rehabilitation, therapeutic exercises, mobility work, or other conservative therapies available at Total Health Chiropractic.
Rehabilitation may be particularly helpful when an injury or prolonged period of pain has affected strength, mobility, or normal movement.
The goal is to create a treatment plan based on your symptoms, examination findings, functional limitations, and goals, rather than taking the same approach with every patient experiencing nerve pain.
Pinched Nerve Treatment Near Iowa City
If you are experiencing persistent neck or back pain, numbness, tingling, burning, weakness, or pain that travels into an arm or leg, consider having your symptoms evaluated.
Total Health Chiropractic is conveniently located at 2201 E. Grantview Dr., Suite 202 in Coralville, Iowa, serving patients from Coralville, Iowa City, North Liberty, Tiffin, Solon, and surrounding Johnson County communities.
Whether your symptoms started suddenly, developed gradually, or followed an injury, our team can evaluate what may be contributing to your discomfort and discuss conservative treatment options that may be appropriate.
Call Total Health Chiropractic at (319) 338-7025 or schedule an appointment online to get started.
Pinched Nerve FAQ
Chiropractic care may be appropriate for certain patients when musculoskeletal or mechanical factors are contributing to nerve irritation. Your chiropractor can evaluate your symptoms, spinal movement, mobility, and relevant neurological findings to determine what may be causing your symptoms and whether chiropractic treatment is appropriate.
Common symptoms include sharp or burning pain, numbness, tingling, “pins and needles,” or weakness. Symptoms may also travel from the neck into an arm or hand or from the lower back into a leg or foot. Because several conditions can cause similar symptoms, an examination is the best way to determine what may be contributing to them.
Yes. A herniated or bulging disc can sometimes irritate or place pressure on a nearby spinal nerve root. Depending on where this occurs, symptoms may include neck or back pain as well as pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness extending into an arm or leg.
Spinal decompression may be considered when certain disc-related problems are contributing to nerve irritation. Total Health Chiropractic offers IDD Therapy® spinal decompression for appropriately selected patients. An evaluation is necessary to determine whether decompression is appropriate for your condition.
Consider scheduling an evaluation when symptoms are persistent, recurring, worsening, traveling into an arm or leg, or interfering with sleep, work, exercise, or everyday activities. Seek prompt medical attention for severe or rapidly progressing weakness, loss of bowel or bladder control, numbness around the groin or saddle area, or symptoms following significant trauma.
Total Health Chiropractic is located in Coralville, IA, just outside Iowa City, and serves patients throughout Coralville, Iowa City, North Liberty, Tiffin, Solon, and surrounding Johnson County communities. The office provides chiropractic care, in-house digital X-rays, rehabilitation, spinal decompression, and other conservative treatment options based on each patient’s individual evaluation.
