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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
A pinched nerve occurs when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues — such as bones, cartilage, muscles or tendons. This pressure disrupts the nerve's function, causing pain, tingling, numbness or weakness.
A pinched nerve can occur at several sites in your body. A herniated disk in your lower spine, for example, may put pressure on a nerve root, causing pain that radiates down the back of your leg (sciatica). Likewise, a pinched nerve in your wrist can lead to pain and numbness in your hand and fingers (carpal tunnel syndrome).
With rest and other conservative treatments, most people recover from a pinched nerve within a few days or weeks. Sometimes, surgery is necessary to relieve pain from a pinched nerve.
- Sheon RP. Overview of the nerve entrapment syndromes. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 12, 2010.
- NINDS Pinched nerve information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/pinchednerve/pinchednerve.htm. Accessed Nov. 14, 2010.
- Rutkove SB. Overview of lower extremity peripheral nerve syndromes. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 12, 2010.
- Nerve compression disorders. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/sec04/ch042/ch042f.html. Accessed Nov. 14, 2010.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/detail_carpal_tunnel.htm. Accessed Nov. 14, 2010.
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- Cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve). American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00332. Accessed Nov. 13, 2010.
- Miller TT, et al. Nerve entrapment syndromes of the elbow, forearm and wrist. American Journal of Roentgenology. 2010;195:585.
- Piecyk ML, et al. Neurologic manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 14, 2010.
- Neuropathy (nerve damage). American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/neuropathy/. Accessed Nov. 15, 2010.
- Rutkove SB. Overview of upper extremity peripheral nerve syndromes. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 14, 2010.
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