Chiropractic Clinic |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| 4535 Normal Boulevard Suite 101 Lincoln, NE 68506 (402) 483-6633 patients@mtchiro.net |
| PINCHED NERVES |
Is a “Pinched” Nerve making Your Life Miserable?
Being “pinched” hurts, but to pinch a nerve? Ugh! That must feel like a severe, sharp, intense pain – and it
often does. “Pinched” nerves could happen nearly anywhere and affect nerves that go to you arms, fingers,
wrists, neck, head, back, shoulders, legs, muscles and internal organs. “Pinched” nerves can affect your
health, posture, vitality, and resistance to disease, even your emotional health. “Pinched” nerves can make
your life miserable.
“Pinched”
Do nerves really get “pinched”? Actual pinching is quite rare. What is much more common is what
chiropractors call the vertebral subluxation complex or subluxations. Other terms for this are nerve
impingement, nerve irritation, nerve lesion, spinal stress and meningeal tension.
Even though there may be no actual pinching, people like the word because it’s so descriptive. It can really
feel like something is being pinched in there. Some health professionals even use it. People at times enter a
chiropractor’s office saying their MD, osteopath, massage therapist or other healer referred them because
they had a “pinched” nerve and should see a chiropractor to get it “unpinched.”
Where Do Nerves Go?
Individual nerve fibers are microscopic. Although they may be many inches long they are so thin you need a
powerful microscope to see them. Nerve fibers are also found in large bundles called nerves, which you can
see. Billions of nerve fibers are bundled inside your spinal cord, an extension of your brain which passes
through your spinal column. Nerves branch off from your spinal cord through openings between the vertebrae
to connect to every nook and cranny in your body.
Life Without Nerves
Your nerves connect you to the world. Without them you couldn’t see, hear, touch, taste or smell or feel hot,
cold, pleasure or pain, Your body would be the ultimate sensory deprivation tank; no messages could come
in – and no messages could go out; without nerves no muscles could move; you’d be a prisoner within
yourself.
Nerves Keep You Alive and Healthy
Nerve messages also help regulate your body activities such as breathing, heartbeat, digestion, excretion,
blood pressure and immune system so they respond to germs, changes in temperature and all kinds of
stress. Nutrients flow over your nerves to nourish your muscles and tissues. If this flow is blocked it may
cause your muscles to waste away.
If your nerves are “pinched” or “impinged” the flow of messages and nutrients over them can be interfered
with and your body can become “dis-eased” or weakened. When you are dis-eased you have less energy
and vitality and are less able to deal with physical and emotional stress. Lowered resistance to disease,
infection, colds, flu, allergies, ulcers, constipation, diarrhea, asthma, fevers, headaches, seizures, bed-
wetting, hearing, balance or visual disturbances and many other health problems have been related to an
unhealthy nervous system.
How Do Nerves Get Impinged or "Pinched?"
Your skeletal system, especially your spinal column, protects your spinal cord and other nerves. If your spinal
bones (vertebrae) are misaligned even slightly they may “pinch,” impinge, irritate, compress or stretch the
nerves they are supposed to protect. This in turn can affect other structures in the area including blood
vessels, discs, ligaments, joints, muscles, fascia, tendons and meninges. As mentioned earlier, this is
referred to as a subluxation.
What Can Cause Subluxations?
Nearly any kind of stress can cause a subluxation: a fall or an accident, even a very mild one that happened
years ago; a bad sleeping position; poor posture; fatigue; dental work; a difficult birth; emotional stress; poor
nutrition or a combination of stresses. A subluxation need not happen all at once. It could “set” in your body
over time – coming on so gradually that you won’t be aware you have one.
It’s More Than Only Nerves
There’s nothing simple about a “pinched” nerve. “Pinched” nerves are a complex condition that includes (but
is not limited to) the following:
1. Jammed (“stuck”) or too movable (“loose”) joints (kinesiopathology). Your bones may feel stuck or sound
“noisy.”
2. Irritated, stretched, compressed, impinged or stressed nerves (neuropathology). This is what people call
“pinched” nerves.
3. Sore, tight stiff, contracted or painful muscles (myopathology).
4. Inflammation, hot spots or “trigger points” (histopathology).
5. Dis-ease, with less energy, poor posture, lowered resistance to disease and premature aging
(pathophysiology).
Most “Pinched” Never Don’t Hurt
Most people with “pinched” nerves are not in pain since most nerves do not carry pain messages.
Chiropractors sometimes say that people with painful “pinched” nerves might be considered lucky – they
know they have a problem and they (hopefully) will go to a chiropractor. But what of those not “lucky” enough
to have painful “pinched” nerves? They may watch their body suffer and their health deteriorate for years
without the faintest idea that the problem may be coming from their spine. These people desperately need to
see a chiropractor but because they don’t have spine or nerve pain they may never receive the care they
need.
This is the big job facing chiropractors today – educating people about vertebral subluxations and the need
for periodic spinal checkups.
Correct your “Pinched” Nerves
“Pinched” nerves do not go away by themselves. No amount of painkillers or muscle relaxants can fix them.
Only doctors of chiropractic are able to analyze your spinal column for “pinched” nerves or vertebral
subluxations and use spinal adjustment techniques to gently realign your spine, release your internal stress
and free you from your “pinched” nerves.
Only a chiropractic spinal analysis and spinal adjustment can relieve your body of vertebral subluxations –
nothing else will do.
Being “pinched” hurts, but to pinch a nerve? Ugh! That must feel like a severe, sharp, intense pain – and it
often does. “Pinched” nerves could happen nearly anywhere and affect nerves that go to you arms, fingers,
wrists, neck, head, back, shoulders, legs, muscles and internal organs. “Pinched” nerves can affect your
health, posture, vitality, and resistance to disease, even your emotional health. “Pinched” nerves can make
your life miserable.
“Pinched”
Do nerves really get “pinched”? Actual pinching is quite rare. What is much more common is what
chiropractors call the vertebral subluxation complex or subluxations. Other terms for this are nerve
impingement, nerve irritation, nerve lesion, spinal stress and meningeal tension.
Even though there may be no actual pinching, people like the word because it’s so descriptive. It can really
feel like something is being pinched in there. Some health professionals even use it. People at times enter a
chiropractor’s office saying their MD, osteopath, massage therapist or other healer referred them because
they had a “pinched” nerve and should see a chiropractor to get it “unpinched.”
Where Do Nerves Go?
Individual nerve fibers are microscopic. Although they may be many inches long they are so thin you need a
powerful microscope to see them. Nerve fibers are also found in large bundles called nerves, which you can
see. Billions of nerve fibers are bundled inside your spinal cord, an extension of your brain which passes
through your spinal column. Nerves branch off from your spinal cord through openings between the vertebrae
to connect to every nook and cranny in your body.
Life Without Nerves
Your nerves connect you to the world. Without them you couldn’t see, hear, touch, taste or smell or feel hot,
cold, pleasure or pain, Your body would be the ultimate sensory deprivation tank; no messages could come
in – and no messages could go out; without nerves no muscles could move; you’d be a prisoner within
yourself.
Nerves Keep You Alive and Healthy
Nerve messages also help regulate your body activities such as breathing, heartbeat, digestion, excretion,
blood pressure and immune system so they respond to germs, changes in temperature and all kinds of
stress. Nutrients flow over your nerves to nourish your muscles and tissues. If this flow is blocked it may
cause your muscles to waste away.
If your nerves are “pinched” or “impinged” the flow of messages and nutrients over them can be interfered
with and your body can become “dis-eased” or weakened. When you are dis-eased you have less energy
and vitality and are less able to deal with physical and emotional stress. Lowered resistance to disease,
infection, colds, flu, allergies, ulcers, constipation, diarrhea, asthma, fevers, headaches, seizures, bed-
wetting, hearing, balance or visual disturbances and many other health problems have been related to an
unhealthy nervous system.
How Do Nerves Get Impinged or "Pinched?"
Your skeletal system, especially your spinal column, protects your spinal cord and other nerves. If your spinal
bones (vertebrae) are misaligned even slightly they may “pinch,” impinge, irritate, compress or stretch the
nerves they are supposed to protect. This in turn can affect other structures in the area including blood
vessels, discs, ligaments, joints, muscles, fascia, tendons and meninges. As mentioned earlier, this is
referred to as a subluxation.
What Can Cause Subluxations?
Nearly any kind of stress can cause a subluxation: a fall or an accident, even a very mild one that happened
years ago; a bad sleeping position; poor posture; fatigue; dental work; a difficult birth; emotional stress; poor
nutrition or a combination of stresses. A subluxation need not happen all at once. It could “set” in your body
over time – coming on so gradually that you won’t be aware you have one.
It’s More Than Only Nerves
There’s nothing simple about a “pinched” nerve. “Pinched” nerves are a complex condition that includes (but
is not limited to) the following:
1. Jammed (“stuck”) or too movable (“loose”) joints (kinesiopathology). Your bones may feel stuck or sound
“noisy.”
2. Irritated, stretched, compressed, impinged or stressed nerves (neuropathology). This is what people call
“pinched” nerves.
3. Sore, tight stiff, contracted or painful muscles (myopathology).
4. Inflammation, hot spots or “trigger points” (histopathology).
5. Dis-ease, with less energy, poor posture, lowered resistance to disease and premature aging
(pathophysiology).
Most “Pinched” Never Don’t Hurt
Most people with “pinched” nerves are not in pain since most nerves do not carry pain messages.
Chiropractors sometimes say that people with painful “pinched” nerves might be considered lucky – they
know they have a problem and they (hopefully) will go to a chiropractor. But what of those not “lucky” enough
to have painful “pinched” nerves? They may watch their body suffer and their health deteriorate for years
without the faintest idea that the problem may be coming from their spine. These people desperately need to
see a chiropractor but because they don’t have spine or nerve pain they may never receive the care they
need.
This is the big job facing chiropractors today – educating people about vertebral subluxations and the need
for periodic spinal checkups.
Correct your “Pinched” Nerves
“Pinched” nerves do not go away by themselves. No amount of painkillers or muscle relaxants can fix them.
Only doctors of chiropractic are able to analyze your spinal column for “pinched” nerves or vertebral
subluxations and use spinal adjustment techniques to gently realign your spine, release your internal stress
and free you from your “pinched” nerves.
Only a chiropractic spinal analysis and spinal adjustment can relieve your body of vertebral subluxations –
nothing else will do.
A subluxation can "pinch" or
irritate your spinal cord, nerve
roots and/or spinal nerves.
irritate your spinal cord, nerve
roots and/or spinal nerves.