Dr. Jeff Langmaid shows how to spot a pinched nerve in your neck or lower back. Numbness, tingling, weakness, or pain in your arms or legs are the main signs. He demonstrates quick self-tests and relief moves like raising your arm overhead or leaning to the side, then recommends seeing a doctor for a proper diagnosis.
Hi, I'm Dr. Jeff Langmaid and today I wanted to tell you how you know if you have a pinched nerve in your neck or low back. In private practice and in some of the largest surgical groups in the world is where I found patients coming to me every day wondering if they have a pinched nerve. So I wanted to give you the information so you can find out for yourself. At least get the starting point to know whether or not you have a pinched nerve in your neck or low back. You There are a couple key things to keep in mind if a nerve in your spine is pinched. If you have a pinched nerve, it is typically gonna result in a couple different things. Nerves are like power lines. They communicate just like the power signals and electric lines out in front of your house with different houses coming from different places. They start somewhere and they end somewhere. The nerves of your spine do the same thing. If you have a pinched nerve in your neck, it can result in in numbness, tingling weakness and pain in your shoulders and arms. That's one way to tell if you might be suffering from a pinched nerve. Pinched nerve in your neck, again can result in numbness, tingling weakness and pain in your upper arms, hands and shoulders. If that pinched nerve is going on in your low back, then you're going to experience those same things in your hips, legs, buttocks and feet. Meaning we weakness, numbness, tingling and or pain. Those are usually early signs that you might be suffering from a pinched nerve. Here's a couple other things to keep in mind. People that have a pinched nerve in their neck often find relief by raising one hand above. This gives the nerve some slack and you can find relief that way. So we call that an antalgic sign, meaning somebody is getting into a kind of an awkward position. But finding relief. If it's a pinched nerve in your neck, it usually results in an arm over your head. If it's a pinched nerve in your low back, then it is a lean to one side or a lean to the other side to help you find relief. Why that literally that lean or that arm going up literally takes the pressure off the nerve. It always opens up the hole where the nerve is traveling out. And if that nerve is pinched, irritated and yelling at you. When you open up that hole just a little bit, it can provide a tremendous amount of relief. Additionally, if you have a pinched nerve in your neck, many people find relief through traction. An easy way to test this at home is simply to comfortably reach under the base of your skull and just pull up ever so slightly. Pull up slightly and gently and see if you find relief similar to putting an arm over your head, that little bit of traction or decompression. If you have a pinched nerve, it is likely going to give you a significant amount of relief. Now, with everything we've talked about today, I would also encourage you if you feel like you may be suffering from a pinched nerve, be sure to visit a local physician who can check you out, do a full examination, give you a diagnosis, and get you on the road to recovery. But those were a few tips. A few tips and tricks to figure out whether or not you may have a pinched nerve.
