Pinched nerve in the neck-Arm pain-Is it carpal tunnel or a pinched nerve?

Pinched nerve in the neck,arm pain-Is it carpal tunnel or a pinched nerve? NYC

This past week we saw 5 patients that all that had very similar problems.
They all had pain in the arm and some into the fingers and even numbness and tingling into the fingers.
This is not only painful, but scary because patients wonder if it is permanent.
This numbness and weakness can make it difficult to play instruments,put on clothes and affect so many activies of daily living.
Most of the patients also complained of previous neck pain.
It is tremendously helpful to have diagnostics like digital radiographs and Nerve conduction velocity or NCV and EMG electromyography to help determine the exact reason why the patients has numbness and zero in on the cause. Often times patients already have a MRI that confirms the presence of bulging or herniated discs, If not we order a MRI.
Once we confirmed the presence of the problem we utilize multiple non-surgical methods to eliminate pain and return patients back to their normal routines.
Cox Cervial distraction is great and has been clinically proven to be an effective treatment for those that suffer from cervical herniated discs and radiculopathy.
We also utilize cervical spinal decompression.
Our NYC Physical therapy office is one of only a few in NYC that integrate cervical spinal decompression into our treatment protocols.

Cervical traction reduces Cervical disc herniations.
www.nycdisc.com

Many times patients with compressed nerves in the neck will present with shoulder, arm,and hand pain even weakness of grip. When this happens it's common for the patient to think the problem is in the arm or hand especially if there is no neck pain.

Yes, you can have a compressed or " pinched nerve" in the neck and not have any neck pain. In fact this is fairly common. You may even think you have carpal tunnel syndrome.

At our NYC physical therapy office, we are always concerned with where the nerves originate that control or innervate an area of the body that is not functioning properly or is experiencing symptoms, such as pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in the upper extremities.

The nerves that exit from in between the bones of the cervical spine, travel down through the shoulder, then down the arms and into the hands. Pressure on these nerve roots will interfere with the transmission of nerve energy to the target cells...resulting in malfunction and symptoms.

The solution is to remove the nerve pressure. Often times this is easier said than done. Depending on how long the problem has been there and what the actual source of the nerve pressure is, will dictate the treatment. We offer Cold laser therapy, the Graston technique and Physical therapies like the Flexbar.
If you are suffering with a pinched nerve in neck or have arm pain or weakness in your arm give us a call at (212)-645-1495 and we schedule an immediate appointment or if you live or work in NYC- fax your MRI to (603) 584-5825 along with your contact information and we will call you back at no charge to discuss possible treatment options.