What’s the first thing that comes to mind when experiencing neck pain? Overexertion? Stress or anxiety, perhaps? What about nerve compression? Chances are you, nerve compression or pinching never crossed your mind. After all, it’s a rarely discussed health concern. Not many people report nerve pinching because they don’t know what it really is and what symptoms it usually triggers. As a source of information about upper cervical care, we decided to tackle everything there is to know about nerve compression and how it can potentially cause chronic nerve pain and other mishaps.
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Your body has roughly 7 trillion nerves transmitting signals to and from the brain. These nerves converge in the spinal cord, the primary connection of the body to the brain. If you take a closer look at the cervical spine, you will notice that the upper neck bones support eight pairs of cranial nerves. This group of nerves innervates the face and various upper body parts such as the neck, shoulders, hands, and fingers.
Sadly, sometimes these nerve bundles get compressed or irritated because of inflamed tissues or misaligned cervical bones (C1 and C2 bones). The nerves can suffer significant damage because the irritation causes the myelin sheath to deteriorate. The irritated nerves also tend to fire pain signals rapidly, causing your brain to become hypersensitive to pain and pressure stimuli.
Unfortunately, the pain signals will continue to misfire until you remove the cause of the irritation with the help of procedures like massage therapy, upper cervical care, or surgery.
So, what are the tell-tale signs of cervical spine nerve pinching? How can you distinguish it from ordinary neck muscle strain? Physicians and doctors who provide upper cervical care note a few red flags, which include the following:
Nerve compression or pinching can cause radiating pain. So besides feeling discomfort or burning sensation on your neck, you might also notice symptoms on your shoulder, arm or upper and middle back.
Numbness and paresthesia rarely appear in musculoskeletal problems like strain or sprain. Instead, studies note that these two symptoms often indicate mild to severe nerve damage or injury.
While nerve pain can go away after a while, it often comes back with a vengeance. Most patients who seek upper cervical care for the first time notice recurring neck pain because of their compressed nerve roots in the cervical spine.
Nerve pinching or compression can sometimes resolve on its own. This is especially true for cases that develop because of repetitive body movements, inflamed tissues, and stress. However, most of the time, nerve compression requires intervention and remedies such as the following:
The last thing you want is to put more pressure on your cervical spine and upper back. That’s why, it’s essential to maintain proper posture when sitting, walking, or even standing in a corner. Here are quick and surefire ways to improve your body posture:
Some cases of nerve pinching benefit from physical therapy. Therapists help patients cope by providing support when shifting from one position to another during an exercise routine. In addition, physical therapists help affected individuals plan activities to avoid further damaging the irritated or compressed nerve roots.
Upper cervical chiropractic has amassed many believers thanks to its effectiveness in addressing postural imbalances. Several case studies have shown its role in managing nerve pain and correcting C1 and C2 misalignments that stem from physical trauma, car accidents, repetitive injuries, and sporting events.
The principles of this approach hinge on the self-regulating feature of the human body. Upper cervical doctors explain that by removing imbalances in the neck bones, the damaged nerves can heal, and the integrity of the spinal structure can get restored. The adjustments also come in handy in releasing tension buildup in the neck and shoulder muscles.
Your neck bones will shift back to their neutral alignment in no time, and you can experience significant relief from your painful and debilitating symptoms. With proper care and regular visits to your upper cervical care doctor, you can maintain the neck bone adjustments and prevent your pinched nerve problem from recurring.
Are you ready to explore an all-natural approach to healing an achy neck and pinched nerve? We encourage you to explore upper cervical care. Schedule an appointment with a cervical doctor today, so you can undergo the initial diagnostic tests like infrared imaging and X-ray scans of the neck and leg length test.
Once you confirm the presence of cervical subluxation and nerve compression, you can begin receiving upper cervical care and experiencing improvements in your symptoms. Please locate a nearby upper cervical chiropractic doctor today to book your first appointment.
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TV show host Montel Williams describes how specific chiropractic care has helped his body.
The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.
