The term “pinched nerve” is commonly used to describe the pain associated with a variety of conditions.

Most of the time, what is called a pinched nerve is actually an irritated, or inflamed nerve where the nerve itself is not actually pinched. Nerves become irritated and inflamed when the bones, joints or muscles of the spine are not in their proper position, or are not moving properly. This condition is called a “subluxation”, the treatment of which is the specialty of the doctor of chiropractic.

There are instances when nerves do become ‘pinched’, such as in carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica and thoracic outlet syndrome. In each of these cases, injury, spasm or inflammation of the surrounding muscles and connective tissue causes the nerve to become compressed, resulting in pain. Chiropractic adjustments combined with exercises and stretching can remove or reduce compression of the vertebrae and help the muscles relax, which can minimize inflammation and reduce or eliminate the associated pain.