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A pinched nerve is a condition where the nerve is squeezed by the surrounding tissue, causing pain that can hinder activities. Pinched nerves can be recovered by limiting strenuous activities. If it doesn't improve within a few weeks, this condition needs treatment.

A pinched nerve can occur when a nerve experiences excessive pressure from the surrounding tissue, such as bones, tendons and muscles. This condition can cause pain, tingling, and even numbness in the affected part of the body.

Pinched nerves generally occur in supporting parts of the body, such as the neck, shoulders, upper middle back and lower back, so they can hinder activities. However, this condition can also occur on the wrist.

If it is still relatively mild, a pinched nerve can be treated independently and can improve within a few days. However, if the condition is severe enough, this condition requires medical treatment according to the cause.

Symptoms of a Pinched Nerve

Pinched nerves can cause various complaints, ranging from mild to severe. The following are some common symptoms of a pinched nerve:

• Numbness or reduced sensitivity in the area where the pinched nerve occurs
• Pain like stabbing or burning, which radiates away from the location of the pinched nerve
• Tingling or the body feels like being pricked by needles
• Muscle weakness in the area of ​​the pinched nerve
• Hands and feet feel heavy or difficult to move

Symptoms of a pinched nerve usually appear slowly and will get worse over time. Some symptoms may worsen while you are sleeping. The severity of symptoms varies, depending on the condition that caused the pinched nerve.

Causes of Pinched Nerves

A pinched nerve occurs because the surrounding tissue becomes inflamed and then squeezes the nerve. Some conditions that can cause a pinched nerve are:

1. Poor posture

Poor body posture, such as frequently supporting your head with your hands or the habit of crossing your legs when sitting for long periods, is known to trigger pinched nerves. If you don't realize this, this habit can injure the muscles and spine which then compresses the nerves.

2. Cederas

A pinched nerve can be caused by a serious injury. These injuries can occur due to accidents or falls.

Apart from that, typing for a long time can also cause wrist injuries. Typing can put constant pressure on your wrists. This condition can increase swelling around the wrist nerves.

3. Obesity

Obesity is accompanied by a buildup of fat in the body which can cause health problems, one of which is pinched nerves.

Obesity can change the shape or curvature of the spine. This change will increase the load on the spinal column and back nerves, causing a pinched nerve.

4. Pregnancy

In some cases, pregnant women can also experience pinched nerves. As the fetus grows, the woman's weight also increases. This condition can put additional stress on the joints and muscles.

Pinched nerves during pregnancy can also be triggered by increased production of the hormone relaxin. This increase in hormones causes the ligament connections to become looser. When the ligaments loosen, one of the nerves in the spine can become pinched.

5. Degenerative (aging)

The cause of a pinched nerve can also occur due to the aging process. As we age, the spinal discs begin to lose their water content and become stiffer. As a result, flexibility in the spinal column will decrease. When this condition occurs, the distance between the vertebrae will decrease and increase the risk of a pinched nerve.

6. Disc hernia

A herniated disc (nucleus pulposus hernia) is a condition when the spinal column is torn or shifted, thereby squeezing nearby nerves.

This condition can occur due to additional load on the body's supporting bones, including the neck and spine. Some activities that can cause a herniated disc are lifting heavy objects in the wrong position.

Apart from that, increasing age can also be a factor in the spine becoming more susceptible to tearing.

7. Spinal stenosis

Another cause of pinched nerves is spinal stenosis, which is a narrowing in the spinal cavity which functions to protect the nerves. When the bone cavity narrows, the nerves inside will be compressed and cause a pinched nerve.

Narrowing of the spinal cavity can occur due to conditions that cause changes in the bones, for example disc hernias, increasing age, fractures due to injury, or tumors in the spine.

Treatment of Pinched Nerves

A relatively mild pinched nerve generally gets better on its own within 2 days. To help relieve complaints, you can treat pinched nerves at home.

If the pinched nerve is so severe that it interferes with your activities, and even makes it difficult for you to move, medical treatment is needed

The following are some treatments for pinched nerves:

Non-medical treatment

You can do non-medical treatment for a pinched nerve yourself at home, such as:

• Rest and avoid doing strenuous activities, such as lifting, pushing, or pulling heavy objects.
• Give a warm compress to relax tense muscles around the pinched nerve.
• Do stretching or yoga that does not overload the muscles or put pressure on the nerves, such as child's pose, cat-cow pose, and downward dog.
• Do light exercise such as swimming to overcome pinched nerves in the neck and back. Swimming will increase muscle strength without putting too much stress on your back.

Medical treatment

If non-medical treatments don't cure a pinched nerve, you can see a doctor. The doctor will recommend the following treatments to treat a pinched nerve:

• Use anti-pain cream, gel, ointment or patch
• Consume commercially available painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, for example ibuprofen and naproxen.
• Take medication from a doctor with a higher level of effectiveness, such as gabapentin and amitriptyline, if pain medication is not able to overcome the complaint.
• Corticosteroid injection to reduce inflammation and pain in the area of ​​the pinched nerve.
• Use a brace or corset to maintain body posture, thereby reducing muscle pressure and tension.
• Undertake physiotherapy to train and strengthen the muscles to reduce pressure on the nerves, if necessary.
• Undertake occupational therapy to help change habits or activities that may worsen the pinched nerve.
• Undergo surgery as a last resort if therapy is unsuccessful in reducing complaints. The type of operation will be adjusted to the location of the pinched nerve.

Apart from these treatments, acupuncture can be an alternative therapy for treating pinched nerves. However, further research is still needed to confirm the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating pinched nerves. Therefore, do acupuncture only if it has been recommended by a doctor.

If you experience symptoms of a pinched nerve that do not improve for 4 weeks, you should see a doctor. That way, the doctor can recommend several treatments so that you can return to your activities comfortably.

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