Is there a way to tell if your back pain is run-of-the-mill back strain or something more severe with a pinched nerve? The good news is that there are some clues that can help you determine whether or not it’s a pinched nerve you’re dealing with when it comes to your pain. Here are some signs that you have a pinched nerve.
Different Kinds of Pain
You can experience shooting pain, numbness, tingling, or burning sensations. For instance, you may experience a pins-and-needles sensation in the area.
Radiating Pain
With a pinched nerve, you may notice that your pain doesn’t stay localized. Instead, you may have a shooting pain or a burning sensation that travels outward, such as from your back down into your legs rather than pain in one spot.
Numbness
It may sound strange, but a pinched nerve can sometimes make you feel numb. As a result, you may lose sensation in the area or general numbness. You may also notice that the pain alternates with numbness over time.
Focused Pain
You may notice that you have a sharp pain in a focused area. It can sometimes come and go with time, but if you find that it sticks around for longer than a few days, you’ll want to get it checked out.
Weakness
You may also experience weakness in the area where you’re experiencing the pain. You could also have a feeling of heaviness in the limbs, especially after doing any activity that involves the place where you believe the pinched nerve to be. In fact, you may even notice that your grip strength suffers from the pinched nerve.
Extremities
You may notice that your hands or feet fall asleep on you more often than usual. This returning feeling could be a sign that you have a pinched nerve.
Changing Pain
You may notice that the way your pain feels, how bad it hurts, and where it hurts may vary based on your position. For instance, lying on your back may help the pain feel better when standing up makes it hurt worse.
Getting a Diagnosis
When you suspect that you have a pinched nerve and the pain persists, getting confirmation from a medical professional is not overly complicated. Typically, you’ll set up an appointment to be seen. At your appointment, you’ll be physically examined, along with getting images to determine if you have a pinched nerve. Once you get a diagnosis for your pinched nerve, you’ll get a better idea of the treatment necessary to help you start to get better. Treatment options typically include over-the-counter medications, heat and ice therapy, chiropractic treatments, and physical therapy.
Pinched nerves can be more problematic than ordinary back pain and may become worse over time, especially if you don’t get the proper treatment right away. It may be necessary to seek out professional advice from certified doctors such as the helpful doctors at LifeGiving Chiropractic about your pinched nerve to ensure that you get the appropriate treatment so you don’t have to worry about the worst-case scenario that could be around the corner. In some cases, you may end up needing surgery to correct your pinched nerve.