A pinched nerve can occur from a number of reasons including: bad posture, injury, arthritis, spinal stenosis, and/or obesity.
NSAIDs treats swelling and possibly inflamed nerves, acetaminophen only treats pain. Be sure that these medications will not interact with any other medication. For example, avoid taking aspirin when on blood thinners. Long-term NSAID use can lead to gastritis and gastric ulcers. Be aware of your use of these medications.
Some insurance companies will not cover PT. Always check with your insurance company if you have a question about billing. You may need to wait several weeks or months after acute injury to start this phase of repair. The nerve may need time to heal and regrow. Try de-weighted training in the the pool for problems with movement on land. After you build up your stamina try some strength and resistance training.
Biofeedback can also be helpful. This is a technique you can use to control your body’s functions. You are connected to electronic sensors that provides information that will help you focus and relax. [4] X Research source Unfortunately, neither acupuncture nor biofeedback are typically covered under American health insurance plans.
Some of these tests, like an EMG can be done at your general practitioners. However, more invasive tests like an MRI may be conducted at a specialist or a hospital.
Minor surgery can be an arthroscopic surgery to unblock the pinched nerve or sew the damaged ends of the nerves together. Another minor surgery is a nerve release, which can help to fix nerve compression seen in nerve damage like carpal tunnel syndrome. [8] X Research source These may create more room for the nerve by dividing tissue, or by moving the nerve to a new location.
The early stage of this therapy is making sure your nerves can feel a wide scope of sensations, while the late stage is fine tuning the sensations to manageable sensations. This type of therapy is generally done in outpatient physical therapy. The length of the sessions depends on the severity of the injury. Generally, this procedure does take some time, as it is essentially “retraining” the body to return to a normal range of function.
Nerve damage due to knives in the kitchen or broken glass is fairly common. Visit the emergency room if you have had recent contact with lead, arsenic, mercury or other toxic substances. They need to be flushed from your body before repair can start.
Nerve grafts often require the removal of nerve fiber from another part of the body. The area from which it was taken may remain numb after the surgery. [11] X Research source
This may require physical therapy. A professional will help you train your body to heal properly by doing incremental range-of-motion exercises. This may require time. Nerve repair may not happen overnight. It may take weeks, months, or years to heal. In severe cases, nerve function may not repair fully. Your doctor should be able to give you a prognosis about how long it will take to heal from a specific injury.
Pain or tingling in arms, legs, fingers, or toes Loss of muscle control. This may cause weakness. If you find yourself having trouble with everyday tasks like buttoning a shirt, or twisting a doorknob, these may be signs of nerve damage. Difficulty digesting food. This may be accompanied with bloating or fullness. You may vomit partially digested food, or have trouble using the bathroom. Peripheral neuropathy affects that brain’s ability to receive pain signals from your nerves . It is a common disorder and the symptoms include pain or numbness in the extremities. You may feel tingling or burning in your arms or legs, which may be an early sign of nerve damage.
