Common Causes of Pinched Nerves in Back
Several forces can cause you to pinch a spinal nerve throughout your life. While you may be unable to control some of these circumstances, you can work with medical professionals to prevent the pain from disrupting your life.
Symptoms of Pinched Nerves
It can be challenging to distinguish between a pulled muscle and a pinched nerve. The longer your pain lasts, the more likely it is that something’s amiss in your back. While you should always seek a professional diagnosis in the face of unexplained pain, you can assess your body for other symptoms that may indicate a pinched nerve.
Common symptoms associated with a pinched back nerve include:
- Radiating pain throughout your back
- Feelings of numbness in your hands and feet
- Burning sensations
- Muscle weakness
- Numbness in a specific spot along your spine
When your vertebrae or another force pinches a nerve, you may feel an abrupt shock of pain that dulls into a throb over time. If you experience this sensation, reach out to a local urgent care or similar institution as soon as possible. Our team can meet with you and mitigate the impact your symptoms may have on everyday life.
Common Causes of Pinched Back Nerves
You can end up with a pinched back nerve for many reasons. Not all of these forces may require you to seek surgical treatment for your pain. Even so, you shouldn’t hesitate to discuss your condition with a medical professional if it’s impacting your ability to complete everyday tasks.
With that in mind, some of the most common forces behind pinched back nerves include:
Poor Posture
Sitting at a desk all day, you may naturally start to feel yourself starting to slump. Maintaining good posture without the right tools on hand cannot be easy. Unfortunately, the worse your posture is, the more likely you may accidentally pinch one of your lower back nerves.
Slipped and Bulging Discs
As you get older or engage in highly athletic activities, your risk of slipping a spinal disk increases. These discs are designed to prevent your vertebrae from scraping against one another. You may feel pain on two fronts when one slips: bone-on-bone contact or a pinched nerve caught in the disk’s path.
Bone Spurs
Your body often tries to replace skeletal damage by creating bone spurs. These spurs, however, don’t always grow as your body intends. If you walk away from an accident with fractures or undetected skeletal damage, your body’s attempt to rectify the situation may cause you more pain.
To contend with bone spurs, orthopedic spinal surgeons can remove the unwanted growths and replace them with metal substitutes. These substitutes can stabilize your spine without pressing against your nerves.
Sedentary Lifestyles
Sedentary lifestyles and poor posture tend to go hand in hand. If you don’t have many opportunities to move daily, you may find that your spinal health begins to suffer. Due to prolonged stationary periods, sedentary individuals are most likely to experience pinched nerve pain in their lumbar region.
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis sees your spine begin to decrease in size slightly. Specifically, your spinal discs may begin to shrink, pinching your nerves as they do. The goal when treating spinal stenosis is to reintroduce adequate space to your spine. As a result, medical professionals reduce the pain you endure, loosen your nerves, and artificially stabilize your spine.
Discuss Your Pinched Nerve Today
Pinched nerves leave you uncomfortable and unhappy. Don’t let your pain fester. Instead, get in touch with the medical professional at Orthopedic & Laser Spine Surgery. Our team knows how to address your individual pain with treatment plans designed specifically for your case.
We’re available to discuss your pinched nerve and the best treatments to restore your comfort. For more information about what you can expect from our team, schedule an appointment through our contact form or by calling (866) 646-5090.