York Chiropractor, Nerve pain, trapped nerves, sciatica and discs

York chiropractor Jonathan Brack discusses all things nerve! Nerve pain, trapped nerves, pinched nerves, sciatica, disc bulges and disc herniations.

York chiropractor Jonathan Brack discusses all things nerve. Nerve pain down the leg, nerve pain down the arm. Trapped nerves, sciatica, disc bulges and disc herniations.

Nerve pain can be one of the most unpleasant symptoms that we see in our clinic. It can often be severe, constant and quite debilitating.

Nerves are amazing!

However, nerves are amazing! They carry messages from our brains to our limbs and organs and back again. They are what make your muscles move and what give you sensation so you can feel.

The nerves exiting the spine from the neck run down the arms, and the nerves from the spine in the lower back run down the legs. If a nerve is trapped or compromised, it results in a blockage of the messages between the brain and the nerve destination/origin.

Nerve compression or impingement can result in other symptoms as well as pain, such as sensation changes including numbness and/or pins and needles. Weakness can also result from a nerve compression. This is why medical professionals often check reflexes, sensation and strength in the limbs when checking for spinal nerve issues.

Nerve pain from the Spinal Nerve roots

Nerve complaints that we see, are usually those originating from an impingement of a spinal nerve root as it exits the spine, resulting in either arm pain (with neck complaints) or leg pain (with lower back complaints). When a spinal nerve is impinged in this way it is called a radiculopathy, in the lower back it is also often incorrectly called sciatica (true sciatica is impingement of the sciatic nerve -usually in the buttock).

There are a variety of causes of nerve impingements of this type, but a spinal disc herniation or disc bulge is a well-known one: A disc bulge in the right position can occupy the intervertebral foramina (IVF), which is the hole that the spinal nerves use to exit the spine. The passing nerve can be irritated or compressed by the space occupying disc bulge. Sometimes degeneration of the spine, as occurs with osteoarthritis (normal arthritis) can also cause narrowing of the IVF.

Picture showing a model of the lower back spine with text illustrating the nerve roots, intervertebral foramina (IVF), and a disc herniation.

Sometimes people can experience radicular pain (spinal nerve pain down a limb), without any obvious sign of nerve impingement on an MRI. In this case, it may be the spinal nerve root has become irritated or inflamed by a local injury. Or it could be that the offending disc or other impinging structure has reduced just in time for the imaging.

Any spinal complaint involving nerve symptoms are often slower to respond to treatment than just muscle and joint problems. Nerves themselves are poor healers, so even if the offending impingement is removed, the nerve can remain irritated for some time afterwards.

Chiropractic treatment of a trapped nerve

There are a variety of things that we as chiropractors can do to aid the recovery of patients suffering from a trapped nerve, firstly we will assess you to see if this is what you are suffering from. Many people attend our clinic saying they have sciatica, but a lot of the time after an appropriate history and examination, it becomes clear that the symptoms do not indicate a nerve complaint, and may be attributed to pelvic joint pain (the sacroiliac joint) or some other structure.

Should we confirm a spinal nerve issue, we will then devise an appropriate treatment plan, utilising techniques designed to free up the area we suspect of causing the impingement. Treatment techniques may include manipulations and stretches to the spine, one such technique is flexion distraction for the lower back (pictured below).

York Chiropractor Matt Pisarski demonstrates flexion distraction, which is a useful technique for a trapped spinal nerve root and/or disc bulge in the lower back.

This technique flexes and tractions the lower back spine in a gentle, repetitive, and pumping motion. This movement opens the IVFs, which is where the spinal nerves are often impinged. In theory stretching the spinal disc in this manner can also help reduce disc bulges/herniations. We use our hands to contact the spine to achieve these forces at the desired level. For a neck disc/nerve complaint we do a similar movement on the neck using our hands.

What if we cant help with your nerve pain?

Should we think you need an MRI to assess the nerve impingement and the spine, we can refer you for this. If you have already had an MRI, please bring any reports or images with you to your first consultation.

Some severe nerve impingements can require surgery.

Get in touch today and put yourself in good hands! Or visit our website for more information.

Call us on 01904 798444