Pain or numbness that radiates into the arms, legs, shoulders, hands or feet could be a sign of a pinched nerve. Dr. Guy Fogel is a leading provider of pinched nerve treatments at Spine Pain Be Gone Clinic, offering state-of-the-art care aimed at relieving symptoms of men and women in San Antonio, TX.
A pinched nerve refers to a nerve that has become compressed as a result of pressure from a surrounding structure like a herniated disc or bone spur, or from swollen and inflamed tissue surrounding the nerve. Sometimes, nerves in the spine can become “pinched” or compressed as a result of changes due to arthritis or spinal stenosis, a condition that causes the spine to become narrow, or when one disc slips over another due to a condition called spondylolisthesis.
Pinched nerves can occur anywhere in the body, but very often, they occur in the back or spine in the areas where nerves exit the spinal column. All the nerves in the torso and limbs travel from the brain through the spinal column before exiting and traveling to other areas. Nerves exit the spine at specific locations between the vertebrae and the discs that separate them. Often, these discs shift out of alignment, resulting in pressure on the nerves and both local and radiating pain and numbness. When pinched nerves occur in the neck, they can cause symptoms in the neck, arms, hands, and upper back. Pinched nerves in the middle and lower back can cause symptoms in the back, buttocks, legs, and feet. The location of the symptoms will depend on which nerve is compressed or pinched.
Pinched nerves typically cause symptoms like pain, numbness, and burning or tingling sensations at the site of injury and radiating along the nerve pathway. Without treatment, limb weakness eventually can occur.
The treatment of a pinched nerve begins with conservative measures to help decrease inflammation that may be irritating the nerve. Treatment options typically include rest, physical therapy and injections of special medicines at the site of the nerve compression. These medications relieve painful symptoms while also helping to reduce swelling. When conservative approaches are not enough to relieve symptoms, surgery may be needed to remove bone spurs, enlarge the openings where the nerve exits the spine, or address other issues.
"He is warm, friendly, courteous and polite. He takes his time and answers all your questions. He did a lumbar fusion on me and I have had no problems."
"Dr. Fogel is the most caring Dr. I have ever met. He always takes the extra time to make sure I understand everything that is going on in my treatment."
"The best doctor I ever met and his staff go way beyond expectations to try to help. Seeing him was the best thing I ever did."
"Dr. Fogel's surgical procedure on my spine three years ago totally eliminated my back pain. I highly recommend Dr. Fogel to any one needing back pain relief."
"He is an awesome doc! I highly recommend Dr. Fogel. I can say that I have my life back and can do a lot of things that I couldn't do before my surgeries."
"They do their utmost best to get their patients back to living as well and as actively as possible. You will not find a better spinal team!"
"Dr. Fogel is awesome! He was very clear on my diagnosis and his recommendation of the procedure that I needed to fix the problem in my spine."
