A jerky movement and suddenly, quite unexpectedly and strongly, burning and stabbing pain appears. These are intensified by movement and may radiate, such as the sciatic nerve, which sometimes radiates to the hip or legs. The symptoms are so clear that the doctor quickly comes to the following conclusion: a pinched nerve is causing the problems.
The diagnosis is initially an umbrella term for various problems. What they have in common is that one or more nerve fibers are restricted in their ability to transmit stimuli and function. However, this is not caused by a pinched nerve, but by an inflammatory process.
The causes are manifold and range from hardened muscles to longstanding poor posture and wear and tear. On the basis of an exact anamnesis and the symptoms, the doctor decides whether imaging procedures are necessary to exclude serious causes such as herniated discs, bone fractures or tumors. In principle, a pinched nerve can occur in any part of the body, but it usually affects the back or neck.
Contents of physiotherapy
If a nerve is pinched, exercise, loosening exercises and muscle relaxation are the means of choice. However, movements that trigger or even increase pain in the affected person must be avoided at all costs. Otherwise, the affected nerve will be damaged even further.
Strong strains, such as heavy lifting and carrying, must also be temporarily avoided. In a back school, patients learn how to behave in a way that is appropriate for their back. In addition to imparting knowledge and practicing new behaviors, the abdominal and back muscles are also trained.
Because strong muscles prevent a jammed nerve. The pain should be reduced by physiotherapy and the previous mobility and thus the well-being should be restored. However, this is only possible if the patient gives up the pain-induced relieving posture. Otherwise, the surrounding musculature will tense up in the long run and lead to further problems. For this reason, physiotherapy is used to train those muscle groups that relieve the pinched nerve and the corresponding musculature.
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