Nerve infringement is a pathology that occurs when nerve roots extending from the spinal cord are squeezed for one reason or another – by neighboring vertebrae, spasmed muscles, neoplasms, hernias. Pinching of the nerve always entails severe pain.
CAUSES OF THE DISEASE
One of the most common causes of nerve infringement is osteochondrosis, a disease in which degenerative changes occur in the cartilage of the intervertebral discs. At the same time, the gap between the vertebrae decreases, which leads to pinching of nerve fibers. Muscle spasm, which is often observed in osteochondrosis, exacerbates the disease, causing considerable discomfort to the patient. When nerves are pinched by spasmodic muscles, blood vessels also suffer, which not only causes severe pain, but also worsens blood circulation. And the deterioration of blood circulation, in turn, affects the work of internal organs, including the spinal cord and brain. With prolonged pinching of nerves and blood vessels, nerve tissues can die off, which will lead to a deterioration in the sensitivity of skin areas and even limbs, in the future threatening complete disappearance of sensitivity. In some cases (for example, with sciatica), the pinched nerve becomes inflamed.
kinds
There are several types of nerve infringement depending on the localization of the pathology and the accompanying pain:
Sciatica – pain in the buttocks, sacrum, back of the thigh,
Lumbalgia – pain in the lower back,
Lumboishialgia – pain in the lower back and buttocks,
Cervicalgia – pain in the neck,
Cervicobrachialgia – pain in the neck and shoulders.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
The symptoms of nerve pinching depend on the localization of the pathology. In addition, the manifestations of the disease are affected by the presence of an inflammatory process, as well as the duration of the disease and the cause of nerve infringement.
The main symptom is sharp pain at the site of nerve infringement and some limited movement. In severe cases, spinal cord compression, impaired motor functions, paralysis and paresis may be observed.
If the cervical nerve is pinched, the patient notes excessive tension of the cervical muscles. When trying to turn the head, the pain increases, the same thing happens when holding the head for a long time in the same position. The cause of infringement of the cervical nerve is most often osteochondrosis, prolapse or subluxation. The optimal method of treatment is massage and in some cases manual therapy. These measures help to restore the normal anatomical position of the vertebral discs in the neck area.
When a nerve is pinched in the lumbar region, the patient feels burning and tingling in the lower back, which are often given to the leg. There is a limitation of mobility, shooting pains often occur when in a standing position. The pain becomes more intense with inflammation of the pinched nerve, as well as in the presence of prolapse or hernia. The cause of nerve infringement in the lumbar region is often overweight, as well as intervertebral hernia and osteochondrosis. Therapeutic gymnastics and herbal medicine help well with lumbar nerve infringement, and massage, on the contrary, is not recommended.
diagnostics
It is not difficult to diagnose nerve infringement – as a rule, the diagnosis is made on the basis of a visual examination, in some cases, computed tomography, ultrasound, MRI or radiography of the bones of the pelvic, cervical or lumbar region can be additionally prescribed (depending on the location of the pathology).
PRINCIPLES OF TREATMENT
Nerve infringement responds well to treatment, the results usually appear after the first session. Most often, when a nerve is pinched, therapeutic massage, manual therapy, acupuncture, as well as complex therapy – taking painkillers, therapeutic gymnastics are prescribed.
PREVENTION
To prevent nerve injury, it is necessary to monitor posture, do not lift excessive weights, sleep on a comfortable bed, do not sit on too soft or too hard chairs, monitor weight and do gymnastics daily.
