The 6 Pinched Nerve Truths
Reference:http://noigroup.com (David Butler?s excellent newsletter)
?Mr. Johnson, it looks like you have a pinched nerve!?
These words stated by a health care provider to a patient can surely instil needless fear, panic and hopelessness! Let us now look at the truths…
Truth #1: Nerves are designed to be pinched, wiggled and stretched on a regular basis, if fact that is what keeps them healthy! Look up at the ceiling for a second?go on, do it?you just squeezed your C5 nerve root!
Truth #2: Cadaver studies show that most people have squished, frayed, and obviously pinched nerves, yet in life they may have never complained of pain.
Truth #3: We all will eventually end up with ?pinched nerves? if we are lucky to live long enough. Spinal stenosis is a fact of life?however, since the pinching is gradual, taking place over decades, it remains mostly asymptomatic.
Truth #4: Most of the time a ?sensitive nerve? is mistaken for a ?pinched nerve?. By far most individuals with neural referral into the upper or lower extremities do not have any evidence of ?nerve root compression?.
Truth #5: When sensitized, nerves primarily need re-assurance of recovery, anxiety reduction, and most importantly gentle stimulation through progressive functional movements and exercises.
Truth #6: Yawning, reaching and stretching first thing in the morning or whenever getting up from a period of rest, is one of the best things human beings can do to maintain healthy and mobile neural tissue.
The next time you see a child stretch & yawn in the morning, a cat or a dog stretch as soon as they get up from a nap, remember?they are instinctively doing self neural mobilizations and yet they don?t even subscribe to the APTEI Reports to read or learn about this stuff!!!
Posted on: March 27, 2010
Categories: Relevant Physical Therapy Articles
