Article Edit Discuss

Diagnose and fix a pinched nerve in your neck

Edited by Ian Gabriel T. Tolledo, Lynn, Jonathan, Ermin and 9 others

8 Parts: What is a pinched nerve? Diagnosis: How do you know when you have a pinched nerve? Treatment for a pinched nerve in your neck Seeking help from professionals Treating pinched nerve for good Tips Tricks & Warnings

...More

A pinched nerve, especially those in the neck, is one of the most annoying and painful experiences a person can have, and oftentimes it leads to an unproductive work or and overall frustrating day. This article will show you how to deal with a pinched nerve in your neck along with its symptoms and other facts that can help you detect pinched nerve early on.

Contents

1 What is a pinched nerve?
2 Diagnosis: How do you know when you have a pinched nerve?
3 Treatment for a pinched nerve in your neck
4 Seeking help from professionals
5 Treating pinched nerve for good
6 Tips Tricks & Warnings
7 Questions and Answers
8 Comments

What is a pinched nerve?

A pinched nerve as we call it is not really a medical term, but rather, a colloquial one. It is used only to describe the damage or injury caused to a nerve or nerves in one of our body parts. This injury can result from overexertion, constriction, compression and even stretching. You can have a pinched nerve when the surrounding tissue in your neck, such as bones, muscle, tendons or cartilages, stresses your neck muscle. This pressure can disrupt the nerve in your neck, ultimately causing tingling, pain, weakness or numbness in the area, which is annoying to say the least. Pinched nerves do not only happen in our necks. They can also be present in your lower spine, which can cause stress on your foot through the nerve root, and this can result in pain that travels all the way down your leg. Also, a pinched nerve in your wrist can also lead to numbness or pain in your hands and fingers, which is medically known as a carpal tunnel syndrome.

Diagnosis: How do you know when you have a pinched nerve?

1
Numbness, "pins and needles" or burning sensations, and pain that radiates outward from the injured area
.
One of the most familiar examples of this is a single compressed nerve that can feel like having your foot or hand "fall asleep". Take, for example, when you rest with your head on your wrist and it goes numb.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2
Pain in the neck or lower back
.
This one can be caused by inflammation (tenderness) or pressure on your nerve root as it moves out the spine. If the pain is unbearable or lasts longer than you thought it would, you will have to consider having further evaluation or tests done by your physician.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3
Problems that can lead to similar symptoms of pain, numbness and prickly feeling in the hands or feet although without pain in the neck or your back
.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4
Peripheral neuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, and tennis elbow
.
The types of these injuries can vary from minor, temporary damage to a more serious condition. Early diagnosis is paramount to prevent more damage or complications in the areas.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Treatment for a pinched nerve in your neck

With proper rest and other over-the-counter treatments, almost all people naturally recover from a pinched nerve within few days or weeks. However, in extreme cases, surgery may be necessary to deal with pain from a pinched nerve. The steps below are some ways you can manage and deal with your pinched nerve.

1
Rest
.
Yes, this is no rocket science. Most cases of pinched nerves in the neck are caused by overexertion of your head. This can include moving your head from side to side while watching the Super Bowl live, or even on a widescreen television, among countless other activities. Resting your head is paramount when treating a pinched nerve. To accomplish this, all you have to do is lie on a comfortable bed and snooze away, taking care to put your head and neck in a comfortable position before sleeping, this means lying on your back.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Alternating heat and ice.

You can also try treating your neck area respectively with hot and cold compresses

This will reduce the swelling and tenderness in the area, removing stiffness and helping with the pain. You can apply ice about four to five times a day to numb the area, and hot compresses before you relax to encourage blood circulation in the area.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Use a brace

If the pinched nerve in your head is hurting really bad, you may want to consider putting on a brace to support it. The brace limits the amount of movement around the nerve, which allows it to rest and recover. The brace also prevents you from movements that may further compress or pinch the affected nerve. However, make sure that your brace fits you well enough without making other parts of your head uncomfortable.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Use medication

Various medications can also be used to treat a pinched nerve. Anti-inflammatory medications, for example, like ibuprofen or naproxen can reduce the inflammation and swelling around the affected nerve. Other medications used specifically for nerve related pain include gabapentin (Neurontin) or pregabalin (Lyrica).

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Get a massage

A gentle massage on your neck can be a nice solution for a pinched nerve. Make sure that you talk with the massage therapist beforehand so that no further injury will occur during the massage. During your session, you may advise the masseuse to either harden or soften his or her hand force during the massage.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Seeking help from professionals

If the symptoms from your pinched nerve do not improve or only lighten a bit despite the above treatments, surgery may be recommended. Surgery may also be recommended if the patient develops additional weakness in the muscles. A pinched nerve in the neck or lower back a spine can be removed by a neurosurgeon by removing some portion(s) of the disc or bone spurs that are stressing the nerve in your spine. In other cases, it is necessary to take away big portions of bone or disc, the surgery may also require a spinal fusion to recondition the spine after saving the nerve.

Treating pinched nerve for good

1
Calcium up
.
If you have a pinched nerve in the neck is caused by calcium deficiency, it will do you good to take supplements now and then to stop recurring neck pains. You can acquire this important nutrient either from natural sources like milk, for example, or you can take it in capsule or Tablet form.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2
Load up on potassium
.
Sometimes, pinched nerves can also be caused by lack of potassium in the body. The obvious decision is to load up on potassium-rich foods and products like bananas, apricots avocados, and other nuts. Also, drinking orange juice allows greater absorption of potassium in the body.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3
Avoid acidic products
.
Citrus fruits and acidic supplements, especially if you consume these foods before sleeping, can drastically worsen your symptom.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Tips Tricks & Warnings

Take time to rest your body whenever possible. Too much exertion will cause your body to collapse in time.
Ask someone you know who suffered from the same illness for some friendly advice.
Prior to professional help, do not immediately engage in a training activity, as this can worsen your neck pain.
Remind people around you not to touch your neck or play with it, as the pinched nerve in the neck is serious as it is.
It is better to take organic pills than synthetic ones.

Questions and Answers

Can you have a pinched nerve where your skull and neck meet?

Yes. Have you noticed that some head pains simply won't go away? One possible answer to that is there might be a pinched nerve where your neck and skull meet. There are actually nerves located in the head that are connected to the spine at the first and second vertebrae. These nerves are right below the skull. So if one of them is pinched, it can cause a great deal of head pain.

Yes, it is possible to have a pinched nerve in your neck. This is as common as having a pulled muscle or a crook in your neck which will limit mobility. If you have a pinched nerve it will be recommended that you go and see a doctor for assistance with this situation to get the best help possible.

What does it mean when you have pinching in your head?

If you have pinching feeling in your head, you probably have a pinched nerve in your neck. A pinched nerve in the neck greatly affects your head, and it causes you a headache. The nerves are located below your skull, where your neck and head connect. If you feel pain in your neck, you will probably feel tingling sensations in your head as well.

A pinched nerve is like an electrical cord carrying signals from your brain to your entire body, or vice versa. The first definition is called motor or efferent nerves, and the second definition is called sensory or afferent nerves, where the nerves in the body send electrical signals to the brain for processing, including information about burning sensations and pain.

A pinched nerve in the neck can affect your head. You will then feel burning sensations at the back of your head that then spread throughout your brain.

This means that you have a pinched nerve in your head which can be caused for a number of reasons. You will need to visit a doctor in order to help get your situation diagnosed.

How to find a good position in bed so I can sleep without pain?

First, ensure that your neck is well positioned in the pillow that it cannot cause a pinched nerve. Then also try to flatten your body and back in the bed with your feet straight up.

But the most comfortable way to sleep will depend on you, and also there are different cases in which some peoples usually have pain in order for them to sleep. The best possible position for yourself is the position in which where you can rest your body where it hurts and make it comfortable and avoid it from moving.

Are pinched nerves caused by a calcium deficiency?

Not all pinched nerves are caused by calcium deficiency. Calcium deficiency in the body is only one of the risk factors which predisposes a person to have pinched nerve. The other risk factors include poor posture, obesity, arthritis, injury, repetitive motion and holding your body in one position for longer periods of time. The rationales behind calcium deficiency causing pinched nerve are:

Calcium deficiency triggers muscles to have spasmodic contraction especially on the neck which compresses the nerve.

If your body's signals are not properly functioning due to calcium deficiency, the extra calcium will build up and hardens forming into calcium deposits in the affected part which compresses the nerves, muscles and tendons causing pain and pinched nerve.

In general, pinched nerves are not mostly caused by calcium deficiency in the body, but rather, it is one of the risk factors which predisposes a person to have compressed or pinched nerve.

Fix pinched nerve?

Pinched nerve or compressed nerve is caused by pressure or compression on a nerve. Nerves are a small network of bundle of axons that transmits impulses to the brain. These impulses may be in a form of hearing, touch, smell, taste, pain, motion, sensation or any other sensation felt by the body. If a nerve in the neck is pinched or compressed, it's function may be limited and the person may experience pain in the affected site, inflammation and tingling sensation going to his shoulder and arm. The treatment of pinched nerve includes:

Splint. The first thing for you to do is to limit the range of motion or the movement of your neck this is to provide enough time for the swelling to subside and to prevent further nerve injury. The best way to limit your neck movement is by simply wearing a soft neck collar.

Medication. The next step is to take medications to manage the symptoms of a pinched nerve. The common medications are NSAIDs like the Naproxen and Ibuprofen to manage the pain and swelling.

Physical Therapy. Physical therapy is also beneficial for pinched nerve especially on the neck and lower back pinched nerves.

Cold compress. Cold compress reduces inflammation and pain in the affected site.

Surgery. Surgery is the last resort in fixing pinched nerve if the pinched nerve fails to respond to medications, splinting, cold compress and physical therapy to release the pinching pressure on the affected nerve.

The above-stated factors are some of the most common ways in properly fixing pinched nerve on the neck.

Is there a treatment that really works for pinched nerves in the neck?

There are a number of treatment modalities than can be explored relative to pinched nerves in the neck. Here are some of the common and effective known remedies:

Complete rest or moderation of routine activities is the most common recommended treatment in such cases of pinched nerves in the neck.

A neck brace may also be prescribed to be worn to immobilize the surrounding areas and to avoid further compression.

Depending on extent and severity of your pinched nerves in the neck, physical therapy may also be recommended which would involve mild to moderate exercises to help alleviate nerve pressure in the neck region and also to further stretch and strengthen the muscles around the neck.

Corticosteroid medications available in oral or injections as well as the use of naproxen or ibuprofen which are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are usually prescribed to reduce pain and inflammation in the affected neck region.

In severe cases of pinched nerves involving the neck wherein conservative remedies may provide very little or no improvement over an extended period of time, surgery can then be recommended by your physician; but this is relatively rare in cases of pinched nerves in the neck. Surgery is usually performed in aggravated cases of pinched nerves involving the spine or wrists.

Hello. How can I determine if what I am feeling is a pinched nerve?

I have some pain on the right side of my neck and have been feeling a cool sensation in my head all day with a little fuzziness and sometimes it feels like I have something crawling in my head.

A pinched nerve in the neck can cause pain, tingling, numbness and pins and needles feeling, as well as other strange sensations. It's possible that you might be experiencing a pinched nerve. It's in your best interest to see a doctor if the symptoms don't resolve themselves with rest, NSAIDs and a cold compress.

Is my nerve issue serious and should I be concerned?

I was told I had a slowing of the ulnar nerve. The pain was mostly in my elbow. It has been a few months on NSAIDs and the pain in my elbow is mostly gone but I have a sharp pain under my shoulder blade. It gets worse when it is pressed against something (eg. sitting or lying down). My arms also have involuntary jerks in what seems to be a response. I have tried: NSAIDs Consult with a neurologist Yoga (just started) Chiropractor. I think it was caused by: Either repetitive strain or just before all the pain started I felt pain in my back after carrying a box.