Monday, March 14, 2011

Did I Pinch a Nerve?

It might start with just a movement that was a little too quick or a funny position that just didn’t feel right. Maybe you picked up a moving box and felt ‘something pop.’ Before you know it, your in so much pain that you can barely do anything without feeling it. I see people like this all the time at Living Well Medical in SoHo. It doesn’t take much, especially once you get into your late 50’s and higher. Your back gets a little more delicate because the spinal discs don’t work quite like they used to. It’s natural.

So inevitably your mind goes to the worst case scenario: did I pinch a nerve? It’s a scary question.

Everyone knows someone that has had severe back pain. Back pain is one of the most (if not the most) common debilitating conditions in the US. Pinched nerves because of a problem with spinal discs is only one of a host of conditions that lead to serious back pain, but for the purposes of the this blog, we’ll only focus on that (since I deal with them pretty regularly). It takes an MRI to really know if that’s the case, and after you’ve had one you can get cleared for treatment.

Conventional medical clinics will often propose surgical intervention, but no one wants that. If you can avoid the surgical knife and get relief, why the heck not? What’s more, surgery outcomes too often fall short of the hopes of the patients, occasionally having no effect at all (or even worsening things).

Here at Living Well we have a wide variety of non-surgical treatments that we use to get people back in control of their lives and their pain. That might include any number of methods like spinal decompression therapy, Active Release Technique, physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, or chiropractic adjustment, - the list goes on - but the specifics of your case and problem will dictate what is chosen.

The main thing is, if your think you have a pinched nerve, go to a doctor! Pain like that doesn’t normally just “go away” on its own; you need a little backup. If you are hurting, give us a call today at 212-645-8151.

Be well!

- Dr. Shoshany, NYC Chiropractor

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the advice. I did not do some exercises properly and my upper back spinal cord area hurts like hell.