Peripheral Nerve Entrapments

Contrary to popular belief, all pain or numbness that is felt in your arm or leg doesn’t have to be coming from dysfunction in your spine. Many people are told this and sometimes it is true, but many times it is not. The term Peripheral Nerve Entrapment, or Peripheral Neuropathy, is a fancy way of saying that a nerve is irritated or compressed somewhere other than the spine but is causing symptoms to be felt down one of your limbs (ex. arm or leg). Many different symptoms can arise when one has irritation or compression of a nerve. You may experience muscle weakness, pain, numbness, tingling or even hypersensitivity with this condition.

It is critical when seeing a healthcare provider for any of these symptoms that the person is trained to determine if the problem is due to a spinal condition or due to Peripheral Nerve Entrapment. Common tests are MRI, X-rays or Nerve Conduction Velocity Tests (NCV). However, there are cheaper and yet quite sensitive tests that can be performed in the office to determine where a possible Peripheral Nerve Entrapment is located. Neurodynamic tests will stretch specific nerves and if performed correctly will commonly reveal the location of the entrapment. These tests have been around for many years and have been performed with great success, especially in Australia where they were developed.

People commonly ask how Peripheral Nerve Entrapments occur and the answer is several things. It could have developed due to a repetitive movement, a previous injury that resulted in adhesions or scar tissue within the muscle or just plain wear and tear.

Once a Peripheral Nerve Entrapment is correctly diagnosed and located then treatment can begin. Conservative treatments such as Active Release Technique (ART) or specific soft tissue release, nerve stretches called Sliders or Flossing Maneuvers and muscle rehab are commonly performed in our office for this condition.

If you have further questions about Peripheral Nerve Entrapments please don’t hesitate to contact our office for more information at 615-302-4747 or www.imsjc.com.