Introduction
How long the symptoms of a pinched nerve last cannot usually be assessed in general, as the duration depends on many factors. On the one hand, the cause of the entrapment plays a role (tension of the back muscles, sudden movement, blocked vertebral joint, trauma/accident), on the other hand, the duration also depends on how much the affected person does to get rid of the symptoms.
Average duration
There are two types of pinched nerves: acute pinching with the resulting pain and chronic back pain caused by a pinched nerve. In the acute forms, a jerky movement is usually the cause of the pain. This leads to a blockage in a vertebral joint and the nerve is pinched.
The result is sudden severe pain. Through an adequate treatment, in which the blockage is released, the complaints can be eliminated very quickly. Usually the symptoms disappear a few days after the treatment.
The situation is completely different with the chronic form. It is caused by a formerly pinched nerve, where the symptoms could not be compensated by bad posture and weak back muscles. The course can last from several months to years and the symptoms reappear even after pain-free intervals. Often, the nerve affected person even has a lifetime of pain, if no adequate and permanent strengthening of the back muscles is achieved.
Duration at different locations
A pinched nerve in the back is usually caused by a sudden movement that causes a blockage in the spine. This blockage can usually be removed quickly. The back muscles must then be treated.
If you work consistently on strengthening the back muscles, the complaints are usually gone after a few days and can permanently prevent a recurrence. If the muscles are not sufficiently strengthened, a chronicity of the pain is likely, so that a duration of months to years must be expected. A pinched nerve that only occurs in the neck is a typical consequence of a traffic accident with whiplash.
The entire force transmission of the collision takes place at the neck, where it can trigger a displacement of the vertebrae against each other, which causes a nerve to become trapped. This displacement can usually be corrected by simple hand movements. Subsequently, the neck pain, which is caused by a reflex tension of the neck muscles, persists for several days.
In more severe cases, where structural damage to the cervical spine, the spinal cord or the nerves originating from it occurs, the progression can be significantly longer. Additional information here:
- Neck Pain
- Cervical Spine Syndrome
The trapped nerve on the shoulder blade is similar in course to a trapped nerve on the back. The duration can be limited to a few days to weeks by specific back exercises.
However, a chronification is possible if the back muscles are not sufficiently strengthened. At the shoulder itself, there is also the so-called impingement syndrome: Here, not a nerve directly but a muscle tendon with the corresponding nerves at the acromion is pinched as soon as the affected arm is spread outwards. This impingement syndrome usually has a long course.
A pinched nerve at the ribs is typically caused by coughing or sneezing. Since the cause of the symptoms is a sudden movement, the symptoms usually do not last very long either. The constriction can usually be reversed by targeted stretching of the rib cage.
The nerve is then irritated for a few days, but the symptoms usually disappear within a week. However, there is a risk that coughing or sneezing may cause the constriction to occur again. Also interesting:
- Rib blockage – How can it be solved? – Entrapped nerve at the rib
