Three Tips You Must Do To Treat A Trapped Nerve Episode

Author: Robert McGreggor

If you are reading this article then I know you are having bad day since you're probably sitting there in some sort of pain from a nerve feeling trapped. Today I want to share with you five helpful do it yourself tips to try cure yourself of the dreaded pain in your neck or low back.

Just a little backgorund information first if you didn't know what actually causes a trapped nerve. Our nervous system is protected by our skull and vertebrae in out spine. The bones tend to do a great job in keeping away pressure on the delcate nerve fibres coursing through the spinal cord. However there are times when trauma can damage the nerve like a car accident causing a whiplash injury to the neck or a sport injury like a bad football or rugby tackle. Then there is the common cause of degeneration over time. This is normal as we grow old and our joints change and become arthritic at points. You though might have another form that called degenerative disc disease (DDD). This intevertebral disc condition can lead to a disc bulge or herniated disc in your cervical or lumbar spine. In this case this causes lots of pressure on the nerve root leading to radicular pain symptoms like pins and needles down the arm/leg, muscle weakness/wasting and loss of sensation to things like hot or cold. You may have heard a friend or relative mention their sciatica is acting up. Sciatica is a medical term used to describe that radiculopathy pain down the back of the leg to the ankle I mentioned earlier.

Right so now you now the two common causes for entrapement of your nerve root what are my 5 favourtie tips for how to treat a trapped nerve.

1. Change Your Posture

I know this sounds too simple to be true but just stop and realise are you slouching? Is that a good seated posture your in right now? Most likely not. Posture puts extra pressure on the spinal joints and discs. By actively adopting better posture stratergies you coudl be giving your body time to heal.

2. McKenzie Neck Extension Exercises

Robin McKenzie was a physiotherapist (physical therapist) based out of New Zealand. He discovered by pure chance one day that keeping you lower back in an extension position helped pull the lumbar disc back in and release the pressure on the sciatic nerve. He tested this theroy in the neck and got the same positive results. This means you might just need a course of McKenzie neck extension or lower back extension exercises to give your herniated or bulging disc a chance to heal.

3. PsychoNeuroImmunology

This is a word you may not have seen before but trust me your doctor should know about this recent concept in medical science. It can be shortened to PNI or sometimes called psychoneuroendocrinology (PNE). What scientists have been able to proof now is that your state of mind will dictate your sate of healing and recovery. If you are depressed and not filling your brain with happy chemicals you might get sick more easily and take longer to recover from injury like a pinched nerve episode. Try mindfulness meditation or heart rate variability coherence training to change your mind and get some healing chemicals flowing through the injury site again.

I hope these three self-treatment tips help kickstart you body on the road ro recovery again.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/three-tips-you-must-do-to-treat-a-trapped-nerve-episode-6664766.html

About the Author

Thirty something Scotsman living the highland lifestyle. Studying latest research and forums about ways to help the world find a cure for a pinched nerve.