What Does a Pinched Nerve Feel Like?
Depending on where the pinched nerve is located, you can feel any of the following:
If it’s in the lower back-
- A sharp pain in the back that goes down the leg and might go all the way to the foot
- This pain can be worse if you are sitting down or if you cough or sneeze
- Your leg or foot might feel numb
- Your leg can feel weak
If the pinched nerve is in your neck-
- Your shoulder hurts a lot to move it in any direction
- Sharp pain in the arm
- Weakness in the arm
- Feelings of pins and needles or numbness in the arm
- The pain is worse if you turn your head or if you move your neck
If the pinched nerve is in your shoulder-
- A tingling or pins and needle feeling in the shoulder
- Numbness
- A sharp pain when you move your shoulder
- A burning sensation in the shoulder when you use your arms
How Long Does a Pinched Nerve Last?
This is a difficult question to answer since it depends on several factors, including
- How long have you had this pain?
- Has this happened to you before?
- How bad is the pain?
How long the pain from a pinched nerve will last will also depend on what the root cause of the problem is. If it stems from a one-time injury, with proper treatment, most pinched nerves will heal in 4-6 weeks. If your pinched nerve is due to a health issue, such as degenerative disc disease, you might only be able to control the pain as your condition won’t really allow the nerve to heal.
What Causes a Pinched Nerve?
Basically, a nerve gets compressed or “pinched” when it receivestoo much pressurefrom surrounding tissues, such as muscles, tendons, bones, or cartilage. This pressure is unnatural and interrupts its normal function, causing it to send pain signals or not work properly, causing weakness or numbness.
A pinched nerve can happen almost anywhere in the body, but common places include the lower spine, wrists, shoulders, and neck.
Do Pinched Nerves Go Away on Their Own?
They can, yes. It can take several days to several weeks, but left alone, a pinched nerve will fix themselves and go away on their own in most cases.
Notice we said most cases. There is a point when you need to seek the attention of your chiropractor. If the pain gets worse over a few days, rather than improving, or if you suddenly have weakness in the area where the nerve is, then you should see a chiropractor ASAP.
Why deal with the pain of a pinched nerve for weeks, however, when you can stop the pain quickly by visiting your local chiropractor? No one deserves to live in pain and you shouldn’t have to “learn to live with it” when a chiropractor is just a phone call away.
Can a Pinched Nerve Lead to Complications?
Unfortunately, the answer here is yes. Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong, and it should not be ignored.
Can a pinched nerve become permanent? Yes. The longer a pinched nerve remains unaddressed, the more problems it creates. The protective barrier that surrounds a nerve can become irritated and begin to breakdown. This causes fluid to build up in the area, which is your body’s attempt to protect the nerve. This swelling of the tissue can lead to scarring and even more pressure on the nerve.
A pinched nerve should never be put off until “later” or taken lightly with a “let’s see how it goes” attitude. You are risking permanent nerve damage, which can lead to serious consequences, depending on where the nerve is located.
You can lose partial feeling in your arms or hands, be unable to move your shoulder, or in the case of the lower back, lose feeling in your leg or even lose control of your bladder and/or bowel function in extreme cases.
When Should I See a Chiropractor?
If the pain isn’t too severe and it started recently, you can try some of the 9 secrets listed here and see if the problem goes away on its own.
However, if the pain is debilitating or if there has been no improvement or if the pain has gotten worse over the past 7 days, you should see your chiropractor sooner rather than later.
A pinched nerve that is not treated can lead to permanent damage of the nerve or require surgery.
