Nerve pain — sometimes called neuralgia or radicular pain — has a distinctive quality, often burning, shooting, or accompanied by pins and needles and numbness. It happens when a nerve is irritated, compressed or otherwise affected, and the symptoms are typically felt along the path the nerve supplies. A familiar example is sciatica, where a nerve from the lower back sends symptoms down the leg. At Back in Action in Penwortham, we care for people across Preston and Lancashire with nerve-related pain of a mechanical origin.
Understanding nerve pain
Nerves carry signals between the body and the brain, and they are sensitive structures. When a nerve is compressed or irritated — for example where it exits the spine, or as it passes through tight muscles or narrow spaces on its way to the limbs — it can produce pain and altered sensation. Because the nerve carries information from a whole region, the symptoms are often felt some distance from the source, travelling along the nerve’s path into the arm or leg.
It is worth distinguishing mechanical nerve irritation, which is our focus, from nerve pain caused by medical conditions such as diabetes, shingles or other illnesses, which need medical management. Mechanical nerve pain — such as a nerve irritated by a disc problem or tight muscles — is often very treatable, and the reassuring reality is that most such symptoms settle well over time with the right approach.
Nerve pain can be frightening, partly because of its sharp, travelling quality and partly because the idea of a “trapped nerve” sounds serious. In fact, irritated nerves are usually remarkably resilient, and as the pressure or irritation around them eases, so do the symptoms. Understanding this often takes much of the alarm out of the experience.
What nerve pain can feel like
Nerve pain has a recognisable character, which may include:
- A burning, shooting or electric-shock-like quality to the pain
- Pain that can be intense and distracting, yet reflects a treatable problem
- Pins and needles, tingling or numbness along the affected area
- Symptoms that follow a particular line down the limb rather than being spread evenly
- Pain that travels down an arm or leg, following the path of the nerve
- A feeling of weakness in the muscles supplied by the affected nerve
- Symptoms that may be provoked by particular positions or movements, and eased by others
- Discomfort that can come and go rather than being constant
This distinctive quality usually sets nerve pain apart from the duller ache of a purely muscular or joint problem, and helps point to a nerve being involved. That said, nerve pain often coexists with muscular and joint pain, and the picture can be mixed, which is one of the reasons a careful assessment is worthwhile rather than guessing from the symptoms alone.
Common causes and risk factors
Mechanical nerve pain can arise for a number of reasons, and it is often a combination of factors building up rather than a single cause. Common contributors include:
- Irritation of a nerve root where it leaves the spine, as happens in sciatica
- Sustained pressure on a nerve, for example from prolonged sitting
- A disc problem pressing on or irritating a nerve
- Tight muscles or narrow spaces compressing a nerve along its path
- Age-related narrowing of the spaces the nerves travel through
- Posture and sustained positions that place a nerve under load
- Previous injury or a period of reduced activity and deconditioning
Part of our assessment is working out where the nerve is most likely being affected, and whether the cause is mechanical or one that needs medical attention.
When to seek urgent help
While most mechanical nerve pain settles, some symptoms need urgent medical attention. Please attend A&E or call NHS 111 straight away if you develop numbness around the back passage, buttocks or inner thighs; difficulty controlling your bladder or bowels; numbness or weakness affecting both legs; or rapidly progressing weakness. See your GP for nerve symptoms that are severe, persistent, or spreading, and for nerve pain that may relate to a medical condition rather than a mechanical cause.
How chiropractic care can help
Chiropractors care for many people with mechanical nerve-related pain. The aim of our care is to reduce what is irritating the nerve, restore comfortable movement, and support the area so symptoms settle and are less likely to return. Following a thorough assessment, our hands-on, drug-free care may include mobilisation and manipulation to improve movement and reduce irritation where a nerve is affected, soft-tissue work to ease the muscular tension that can compress nerves, and rehabilitation exercises to restore movement and reduce the load on the area. Because we are a multi-practitioner clinic, we can also draw on physiotherapy. We will be honest about what care can realistically offer, and recognise when imaging or medical input is needed, referring you on without hesitation.
What to expect at Back in Action
Your first visit is mostly about understanding your symptoms. We will take a careful history and carry out a physical examination, which for nerve-related problems often includes checking reflexes, strength, sensation and how the nerve responds to movement, to build a clear picture of what is involved and to make sure there are no signs that need more urgent attention. We will explain what we have found in plain language and discuss whether chiropractic care is appropriate, what a sensible plan looks like, and what to expect.
You can read more on our new patients page, with current charges on the fees page. We will be realistic about the likely course of care and review your progress as we go.
Helping yourself: self-care and recovery
There is much you can do to support recovery from mechanical nerve pain:
- Keep gently active within comfortable limits rather than resting completely
- Avoid the sustained positions that clearly provoke your symptoms
- Build activity back up gradually as things settle, rather than all at once
- Look after general fitness and the strength of the affected region over time
- Work on the strength and flexibility of the affected region over time
- Be patient, as nerve symptoms can take a little time to settle even once recovery is well under way
- Try not to be alarmed by the intensity of the pain, which is not a measure of harm
If you would like guidance tailored to you, we can build a safe, progressive exercise and self-care plan around your recovery, and adjust it as your symptoms change. As with sciatica, a steady, gradual approach generally serves better than swinging between complete rest and overactivity.
Related conditions and treatments
Nerve pain overlaps with sciatica, lumbar disc problems, shoulder and arm pain and chronic pain. The care we provide draws on approaches such as chiropractic manipulation and exercise and rehabilitation, and may form part of a wider plan alongside our chiropractic and physiotherapy services.
Take the first step
If nerve-related pain is getting in the way of your life, you do not have to simply put up with it. We are happy to talk it through and help you understand your options. You can get in touch to book an appointment, or to ask any questions before your first visit.