Pinched Nerve
(Nerve Entrapment
or Nerve Compression)
Jason C. Eck, DO, MS
Dr. Eck received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Catholic University of America in Biomedical Engineering, followed by a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University. Following this he worked as a research engineer conducting spine biomechanics research. He then attended medical school at University of Health Sciences. He is board eligible in orthopaedic surgery.
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
- Pinched nerve facts
- Introduction to pinched nerve
- What causes a pinched nerve?
- Pinched nerve in the neck or lower back
- Pinched nerve in the wrist or elbow
- Other causes of pinched nerve
- What are the symptoms of a pinched nerve?
- How is a pinched nerve diagnosed?
- How is a pinched nerve treated?
- What is a patent's prognosis for a pinched nerve?
- Patient Comments: Pinched Nerve - In Neck
- Patient Comments: Pinched Nerve - In Back
- Patient Comments: Pinched Nerve - Describe Your Experience
- Patient Comments: Pinched Nerve - Treatments
- Patient Comments: Pinched Nerve - In Neck, Treatment
- Find a local Neurologist in your town
Pinched nerve facts
- Nerve carry electrical signals from the brain to the body and vice-versa.
- A pinched nerve can cause pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness along the path of the pinched nerve.
- Most people improve from a pinched nerve with rest, ice, medication or physical therapy.
- Weakness or wasting of the muscles from a pinched nerve can suggest permanent nerve injury.
Introduction to pinched nerve
Nerves are like electrical cords that carry information from the brain to the rest of the body and vice-versa. They are distributed throughout the entire body.
- Motor
(efferent) nerves carry information from the brain out to the
body. This allows the brain to send commands to the various organs of the body.
For example, these commands are sent to the muscles causing them to contract
and move, or to the
heart to either beat faster or
slower.
- Sensory (afferent) nerves send information from the body back to the brain for processing, including information about pain, touch, taste, temperature, or other sensations.
The information travels along the nerve by an electrochemical signal, much like information traveling along an electrical cord. When a nerve is pinched, the signal is interrupted somewhere along its path.
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