Pinched Nerve in the Neck - What to do?

A stiff neck from sleeping funny or bad posture can be a bit of a pain, but for some people with neck problems, it takes on a whole new dimension. A pinched nerve in the neck can be exceedingly painful, so much so that sufferers are often forced to essentially take a break from their lives to recover and get relief from the pain. Here I hope to present a sort of “guide” for someone that believes they have a pinched nerve. But remember, if you are in severe pain, the best route to take is to see an NYC doctor about the problem right away.

Are there any surefire signs of a pinched nerve in the neck?

There is no “absolute” in terms of a pinched nerve in the neck, also called radiculopathy. However, there are some tell-tale signs that may indicate nerve impingement in the cervical vertebrae. That being said, only the proper medical tests like nerve conduction tests and EMG can tell if nerve impulses are indeed being interrupted. They include:

• Headaches in back of head


• Upper shoulder pain


• Burning pain


• Tingling, pins & needles in middle, ringer or little finger

What exactly is going on in a pinched nerve?

Although the physical mechanism can vary from place to place, the common thread in all types of radiculopathy is a nerve that is functioning improperly. It may be due to a herniated disc or scar tissue or a muscular problem, but in each case, a nerve is impinged by surrounding tissue and becomes inflamed, affecting its performance and often causing pain/disability.

What are the treatments for a pinched nerve?

At Living Well Medical in NYC, we have several different therapies available on-site that can help reduce inflammation, pain and swelling. In cases caused by a herniated disc, cervical spinal decompression is one of the more cutting edge treatments we use. It’s a next generation technology that can pinpoint individual spinal discs and may be able to stop the pain completely.

For other causes that are myofascial (related to muscles or the fascia), manual therapies like Active Release Technique, physical therapy and traditional gentle chiropractic methods might be more effective in treating the pinched nerve.

I’m pretty sure I have a nerve problem. What should I do?

The main point is to seek help and get the tests done to find out for sure. X-rays, EMGs and nerve tests can be done by our pain management doctors, and we have a vast referral network if you should need an MRI. But don’t wait. If you would like to speak to one of our experts, call Living Well Medical in NYC’s SoHo/NoHo area at (212) 645-8151.

- Dr. Shoshany, NYC Chiropractor

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.

End Back pain naturally NYC

I have been practicing Chiropractic care in NYC for 14 years now and the past 7 years I have been utulizing Non -surgical Spinal decompression with the DRX 9000 spinal decompression table.
www.drshoshany.com

I remind my patients that spinal decompression is not a panacea, but in most cases when all other methods have failed patients can expect great things from spinal decompression. A patient that recently completed a spinal decompression protocol with us in our NYC office was kind enough to email me a testimonial in english and spanish. I posted it below.


Spinal Decompression testimonial

My name is Sylvia Rivera and I am 59 years old. This is my story. It has been 5 years since I began suffering from backaches. I have been hospitalized, taken many pain killers, patches and different kinds of injections such as epidurals, joint facets, cortisone and many other relievers. But these just proved to be temporary pain relievers. At times I could not walk,tie my shoes,pick anything up or carry anything. I thought my life was over, as I have always been extremely active and had to stop dancing which has always been a passion of mine. However, since I went to Living Well Medical and met Dr. Shoshany my life has changed for the better. I can do so many things I thought I would never be able to do again. Now I can dance, walk and enjoy my life . I am so happy that I met Dr. Shoshany and was recommended the Spinal Decompression treatment. Dr. Shoshany made my life healthier and I am much happier. If you want your life back, I strongly recommend seeing Dr. Shoshany

In Spanish:
Mi nombre es Sylvia Rivera Y tengo 59 anos y esta es mi historia. Hacen aproximadamente cinco anos que he estado sufriendo de dolores de espalda. He estado internanda, he estado tomando medicamentos fuertes y injeciones en la espina dorsal con un poco de sedante o sea anestesia, me han recetado parchos para aliviar los dolores, Y he estado en tratamientos de terapia fisica por un ano. Me sentia casi invalida no tenia vida social, no me podia levanter de la cama todo era con mucho esfuerzo y con dolores constante. Desde que conoci al Dr. Shoshany en la clinica Living Well Medical y me hicieron el tratamiento de decromprencion mis dolores han disminuido en una forma fantastica. Ahora puedo amarrarme los zapatos, puedo bailar, caminar mejor y disfrutar de lo que me habia resignado,! disfrutar la vida!. El tratamiento que el Dr. Shoshany me ha recomendado ha sido lo mejor que me ha pasado en muchos anos. Si quieres tener tu vida activa otra vez Y sentirte mas fuerte deberias ir a ver al Dr. Shoshany YO LO RECOMIENDO.

As you can read this her quality of life has greatly improved, I see this type of recovery daily in our office.
If you or a loved one suffers with Back pain, Sciatica, pain from a pinched nerve or herniated disc consider Spinal decompression treatment prior to a surgical intervention.
If you have a MRI report I can review it at no charge and determine if it makes sense to come in for a No charge consultation. Fax the MRI report to
(212)777-1653 please inculde a cover sheet with your name and contact information, I will do my best to return calls within one day.
to learn more about Spinal decompression visit www.truespinaldecompression.com