A pinched nerve can keep you from a good night’s sleep. It can interfere with your concentration during the day. It limits your quality of life. But it’s a treatable condition in the right hands. Visit Pain Management in New York City for effective treatment options to deal with the pain and get to the bottom of it. Only with an accurate diagnosis can you hope to solve the pain once and for all. And it’s possible at the best pain management clinic in New York. Call for an appointment today!
Pinched nerves often result when a nerve root exiting the spine in your back or neck is compressed or irritated by the surrounding bones, cartilage, tendons or muscles. When the nerve is inflamed, you feel a sudden sharp pain that can be shooting or burning. You also may experience a tingling sensation, along with numbness and weakness all the way down your arm to your fingertips, which is also a sign of cervical radiculopathy.
If you’re experiencing lower back pain, the nerve that’s pinched may be one of your sciatic nerve roots. Sciatica sends pain down one or both legs. Upper back pain and neck pain may be due to a pinched cervical nerve. The first step to eliminating your pain is a visit to Pain Management NYC.
Reasons for the Pinched Nerve
Lifestyle choices directly impact spinal health. Prolonged sitting reduces back flexibility, while a sedentary lifestyle can lead to obesity, which places excessive strain on the spine. Furthermore, obesity increases the risk of diabetes and diabetic neuropathy, a condition where high blood sugar damages nerves, particularly in the lower extremities.
Occupational factors also contribute to pinched nerves. Sitting for extended periods in chairs without proper spinal and neck support often leads to chronic pain. Similarly, driving for long hours in inflexible seats can cause significant discomfort in both the upper and lower back.
To prevent further damage, your NYC pain management specialist recommends specific ergonomic adjustments and posture improvements.
Other conditions that cause a pinched nerve include:
Medical Conditions to Consider
About 70 to 90 percent of pinched nerve cases are due to age-related changes in your spine. Cervical degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis and bone spurs all come from wear and tear. Bone spurs grow on the edges of your vertebrae and in the spinal joints to combat disc damage and to add strength to your spinal structure. Those bone spurs can pinch your nerves.
Younger people with back pain may be suffering from a herniated disc. The gel-like substance inside your disc leaks out through a crack, aggravating the neighboring nerve roots. Spondylolisthesis occurs when the disc damage pushes a vertebra out of alignment. Commonly known as a slipped disc, spondylolisthesis impinges a nerve root by narrowing its path.
Another medical reason for a pinched nerve is spinal stenosis, a condition that narrows the spinal canal, compressing the spinal cord within. The condition usually stems from osteoarthritis or another form of degenerative disease. Your pain management doctor in New York finds the correct reason for your pain before implementing any treatment for an impinged nerve.
Where Do You Hurt?
A pinched nerve can occur anywhere along the spine. Accurately locating the source and cause of your discomfort allows our NYC pain specialists to provide targeted treatment. Diagnosing your condition may involve various assessments, ranging from a physical examination to an MRI.
Treatment for nerve impingement depends on your specific diagnosis, including the location and severity of the symptoms. At Pain Management NYC, you can trust our Ivy League-trained specialists to handle every aspect of your care with precision.
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Treatment for a Pinched Nerve
Most pinched nerve treatments for your back are fast and effective. Our pain specialists give you a few options for how to treat a nerve impingement.
Non-surgical methods include:
- Lumbar, thoracic or cervical epidural steroid injections, depending on the location of your pain
- Spine facet injections
- Shoulder injections
- Nerve block injections
- Sympathetic block
- Soft cervical collars
If these treatments prove ineffective, you may want to try a minimally invasive solution, such as:
Your treatment starts with a consultation and examination. If you’re suffering from back or neck pain, contact Pain Management NYC for an accurate diagnosis and the most advanced pain management techniques and procedures in the country.
Written by Dr. Boleslav Kosharskyy, MD
(Pain Management Doctor)