When the surrounding tissues like the bones, cartilage, muscles, or tendons put too much pressure on a nerve, you will experience something that is called a pinched nerve. This will disrupt the normal functioning of the nerve, which can cause pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness.

A pinched nerve can happen in a number of areas in your body. This means that if you have a pinched nerve on your wrist, it could cause pain and numbness in your hands and fingers.

With the help of conservative treatments from Vacaville chiropractors, people can recover from a pinched nerve in a matter of days or weeks. However, there are instances that surgery may be needed to relieve the pain from a pinched nerve.

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Symptoms in Vacaville

The signs and symptoms of a pinched nerve include:

• Muscle weakness in the affected area.
• Sharp, burning pain, which may radiate outward.
• Tingling sensations.
• Numbness or lesser sensation in the area where the nerve is located.
• Constant feeling of a hand or foot that has "fallen asleep".

Pinched nerve problems may worsen while you're sleeping.

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Causes

You'll know that you have a pinched nerve when you feel that there's too much pressure on the nerve by the surrounding tissues. In some cases, the tissue involved might be the bone or cartilage but there are instances where it could be the muscle or tendons.

In carpal tunnel syndrome, there are several issues that causes the compression of the carpal tunnel's median nerve, which includes an enlarged bone that narrows the tunnel, swollen tendon sheaths within the tunnel, or a thickened and degenerated ligament.

There are several conditions that could make a tissue compress on a nerve or nerves, including:

• Obesity
• Injury
• Rheumatoid or wrist arthritis
• Hobbies or sports activities
• Stress from repetitive work

If the pinched nerve only existed for a short time, there is no risk of permanent damage. Once this pressure is relieved, the normal functioning of the nerve will be restored. But if the pressure continues, then chronic pain and permanent nerve damage is inevitable.

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Risk factors

There are also other factors that could increase your risk of developing a pinched nerve:

• Gender - Women have higher chances of developing carpal tunnel syndrome, which is possibly due to having smaller carpal tunnels.
• Rheumatoid arthritis - Inflammation caused by this condition can compress the nerves, particularly in your joints.
• Bone spurs - A condition or trauma that causes bone thickening can develop bone spurs. Bone spurs can stiffen your spine and even narrow the path where your nerves travel, thereby pinching them in the process.
• Thyroid disease - People with this condition have a higher risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome.

There are also other risk factors, which includes the following:

• Diabetes - Diabetics are at risk of developing nerve compression.
• Obesity - Having an excess weight can put pressure on your nerves.
• Overuse - If you're working on a job or hobby that requires repetitive movement on certain body parts, it will increase the possibility of experiencing a pinched nerve.
• Pregnancy - Weight and water gain linked to pregnancy can cause nerve pathways to swell, thereby compressing your nerves in the process.
• Prolonged bed rest - A long-time of lying down can put you at risk for nerve compression.

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Prevention

You can prevent a pinched nerve from happening if you do these following measures:

• Do some strength and flexibility training during your regular exercise program.
• If you always maintain a good position and don't stay in the same position for a long time.
• Limit repetitive activities and take frequent breaks in between.
• Maintain a healthy weight.

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Chiropractic can help

Chiropractic care can help relieve pinched nerves by re-aligning the spine and bring back your optimal health. There are several stress factors that can cause a pinched nerve and chiropractors can help in reducing that stress to treat pinched nerves and even prevent them from happening. Chiropractic care is a natural and healthy approach to healing your body. It doesn't involve unnecessary surgeries and won't put the patient under harmful medications. These gentle adjustments will let the body do its job on healing itself and once it does, your optimal health will also be restored.

So, call a chiropractor today by dialing (707) 474-5688 and look for Dr. Alex Tam. He's a chiropractor from Vacaville and he operates a chiropractic and holistic center that has helped many patients who are suffering from this condition.