What is a pinched nerve?
So you’ve been told you have a pinched nerve in your low back, what is it and what does this mean? A pinched nerve is essentially a general diagnosis, or rather a symptom, that is the result of something else. When the term pinched nerve is used it means a situation has arisen where excessive pressure is being placed on a nerve leading to pain, numbness, tingling, and in severe cases muscle weakness. Let’s explore some basic anatomy of the low back and that will help illuminate this situation.
Nerves in the low back
When you look in detail at the spine you see that the spine consists of alternating stack of bones and discs. We have 33 vertebrae, spinal bones, and 23 discs, the jelly donut like structures separating the vertebra. We have 9 fused vertebrae at the bottom of the spine and that’s part of the reason the bones outnumber the discs. The sacrum, triangular shaped bone in our pelvis contains 5 of those vertebrae, while the coccyx, tailbone, contains the other 4. The spinal cord runs down the center of the vertebral column and nerves branch off and exit, or breakout of the spine and go out into the body to provide sensation and muscle control.
Causes of a pinched nerve in the back
A pinched nerve arises when anything happens to impede the space or ability of the nerve to move. Common reasons are disc herniations, bone spurs, degenerative disc disease. We could also move or twist in an awkward fashion resulting in muscle guarding around a nerve limiting the movement of the spine and thereby impeding nerve movement.
Pinched nerve treatment
In order to alleviate the pain associated with a pinched nerve we must first determine the cause of the “pinch”. To reiterate an earlier point, a pinched nerve is the result, or symptom, of something else. A thorough examination will help to tease out whether the cause is from a disc herniation, degenerative changes, or muscular causes and from there an appropriate treatment plan can be developed. Seek out timely care and you can reduce pain, regain function, and get back to the life you want to live.
Physical therapy for a pinched nerve in Columbia and Baltimore, Maryland
Physical Therapy can help relieve pinched nerve symptoms, improve strength in the legs and low back, and reduce pain in the low back and legs. If need help for pain from a pinched nerve, reach out to us on our contact page here.
