How Do You Treat a Pinched Nerve?

Step 3: Do Not Exhaust Yourself

Do well to avoid overusing your body the moment you realize you have a pinched nerve. Make sure that the affected area is stress-free. If at all possible keep it from doing anything strenuous. If you continue using the tendons, joints, or muscles responsible for the problem, then you are likely to aggravate the situation.

Overusing the joints, tendons, or muscles may cause the surrounding area to swell and lead to more nerve constrictions. You can promote relief, which might not be instant, by avoiding flexing of the affected area. You will know which movement to avoid depending on the location of your pinched nerve. Pinched nerve pain will let you know where the nerves have become impinged.

Look out for carpal tunnel syndrome, which is normally caused by a pinched nerve. You can keep your wrist straight and avoid bending it when sleeping. This will offer relief from the nerve compression.

Step 4: Get Adequate Sleep and Proper Neck Placement

You are strongly advised to sleep well, and if possible, extra hours. This will allow your body enough time to heal itself. When your body gets the time it needs to rest and heal, the symptoms of the condition will subside.

However, you need to know how to sleep properly with a pinched nerve in order to avoid worsening the condition. If you have a nerve being pinched on your left side, you may experience radiated neck pain.

This means there is pressure on your left side. If your head is in a position where you are compressing more to the left, then the affected nerve is going to be more inflamed. To avoid hurting the affected area, you should consider sleeping on a higher pillow.

If your pillow is higher, your head will be upright, opening up the compressed area to your left. This will relieve the excess pressure from the nerve. Alternatively, you can sleep on the other side with a lower pillow, allowing the left side (affected area) to open up.

If you are experiencing pinched nerves, you cannot afford to sleep without a pillow. However, you must use your pillow correctly to avoid aggravating the condition. You can use almost any kind of pillow, as long as you position yourself correctly.

Step 5: Apply Heat and Ice

Most pinched nerve cases involve swelling, which may aggravate the condition. We encourage you to apply heat and ice on the affected region to help minimize the swelling and improve blood circulation.

Better results are achieved if you apply the ice and heat with respect to a given time interval. You can start with ice and then followed by heat. Apply ice for a period of fifteen minutes, three times a day to reduce the inflammation.

Then, apply heat to the pinched nerved for a period of one hour, four times a night to improve blood circulation. You should not exceed fifteen minutes when applying ice in order to avoid reduce blood flow, and you should not exceed one hour when applying heat so as not to worsen the inflammation.

Step 6: Get a Chiropractic Massage Therapy

Massage therapy is known to relieve the compression and help achieve pinched nerve relief. You may find great appreciation in a  full body massage from a chiropractic massage therapist for improved recovery from pinched nerve pain.

Step 7: Eat Foods That Will Help Alleviate the Condition

If you have not tried this, then you should know that there are some foods that can help you deal with a pinched nerve. The most recommended types being dark green vegetables and bananas. Normally, lack of calcium and potassium may lead to the condition.

Foods rich in calcium are spinach, kale, seaweed, low-fat dairy, and sesame seeds. Foods rich in potassium include bananas, avocados, walnuts, and cashews.

Step 8: Maintain a Good Posture

Poor sitting positions can aggravate the condition. You can exercise good sitting posture by using a chair that is fixed with back support, sit upright, get more back support, and do not sit for extended durations. To achieve all the above, you can use a chair, a folded towel, and a footstool.

Step 9: See a Doctor When the Symptoms Do Not Subside

You might get temporary or lasting relief by using the abovementioned home treatment techniques. However, you should consult a chiropractic physician if the symptoms keep on returning and the pain fails to go away within a day or so.

A chiropractor can help develop a recovery plan that fits your specific pain condition. Knowing how to treat a pinched nerve is the next step in recovery.