Nerve Pain – The Pain That Doesn’t Give Up Easily
What is nerve pain?
Nerve pain is a very common type of pain that many physical therapists treat on a daily basis. Nerve pain is often described as burning, aching, numbing, or tingling. Depending on the severity, it may feel like small pins and needles or it could be a very constant burn. In my opinion, nerve-generated pain is often overlooked. I find issues related to neural mobility to be a contributing factor of many musculoskeletal conditions. Let’s discuss how nerves can cause pain.
Why do nerves cause pain?
Your nervous system is a very complex and intricate system. You have nerves all throughout your body, but the ones we will be discussing today are your peripheral nerves that go to your muscles. Your peripheral nerves (outside of the spinal cord) weave through all of your tissues in order to innervate (control) your muscles. Think of your nerves like strings or rubber bands that run all the way down your arms and legs. Nerves are very sensitive structures and can easily become irritated when compressed or stretched. When a nerve becomes irritated, it can send pain signals either up or down the system. For example, when you hit your “funny bone,” you are actually compressing the ulnar nerve at your elbow. This can cause shooting pains down the arm and often give you a feeling of numbness or tingling all the way down to your fingers. The ulnar nerve has been irritated and is sending pain signals both down the arm and back to the brain.
How does nerve pain Manifest?
When a nerve has been compressed for a longer period of time, as in the case of carpal tunnel syndrome, it can result in a more constant pain. A person with median nerve irritation at the carpal tunnel might experience numbness and tingling into the thumb and first two fingers. However, carpal tunnel syndrome is often over-diagnosed. Why? Carpal tunnel syndrome refers to a nerve irritation of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel. The median nerve starts up toward the armpit and can be irritated anywhere along the entire arm. Because symptom presentation can be very similar with different nerve entrapments, many people get misdiagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome when their pain is actually due to a nerve entrapment higher up on the arm. Over time, if the nerve compression goes untreated, it can actually result in muscle weakness. Remember, your nerves control your muscles through electrical impulses. If the nerve is being compressed or stretched beyond capacity, its ability to send these impulses to control your muscles will be disrupted. Long term nerve damage is very serious and can result in permanent damage and disability. It is important to address nerve pain as soon as possible in order to determine the cause of the pain and address it.
How Physical Therapy Can Help
Because of the complexity of the nervous system and it’s close relationship to the musculoskeletal system, nerve pain can be very tricky to accurately diagnose. Your physical therapist can perform a full evaluation on you and determine the cause of your nerve pain. Treatment often includes a combination of myofascial techniques, joint mobilizations, soft tissue techniques, neural mobilization, and therapeutic exercises. Modalities may be indicated in some instances. Your physical therapist should take your specific condition into consideration and develop an individualized plan of care to help you get better. As mentioned earlier, it is best to get nerve pain addressed sooner rather than wait because it can become very serious if untreated.
Are you experiencing pain that feels like burning, aching, numbing, tingling, or shooting? Let us help you determine the cause of your pain and develop a care plan to get rid of it.
PhysioStrength Physical Therapy.
2909 S. 12th St. Tacoma, WA, 98405
Phone: (253)-722-9788
Fax: (253)-778-6992
cnaccarato@physiostrength.com