Neck Pain & Trapped Nerve

It is important that you read this bit first:

Our clinic regularly sees patients with problems that have not responded to medical treatments or people who are unable to wait to be seen on the NHS.

However, if you have back or neck pain with any of the associated symptoms listed immediately below, then it is recommended that you do not consult our clinic & seek urgent medical attention at A&E.

• If you are unable to urinate
• If you are unable to empty your bowels
• If you have become incontinent since the onset of your back or neck pain.
• If you have an associated fever
• If you have associated numbness or pins & needles around your anus
• If you have pins & needles or numbness in BOTH legs/feet

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So, assuming none of the above applies to you, then read on if you wish, or simply book an appointment online ASAP.

Neck Pain

Neck pain & trapped nerve is a relatively common occurrence. About 1 in 2 people develop neck pain at some point in their lives. It’s most common in women, with the most common cause being ‘non-specific’ neck pain.

Non-specific neck pain

This is sometimes called ‘simple’ or ‘mechanical’ neck pain. Sometimes, the exact cause or origin of the pain is not known, but normally people have some idea.

It may include minor strains & sprains to muscles or ligaments in the neck. ‘Bad posture’ at work may be a contributing factor in some cases.

Working all day bent over a computer, looking up too much (decorating), driving long distances, poor posture while standing or sitting, stress & tiredness are all factors that can cause neck pain. The muscles in the neck & upper back to become tight & the joints to become stiff, it contributes to ongoing neck pain & sometimes to radiating symptoms. Quite often it can be a result of sleeping without adequate pillow support.

Neck pain & ‘trapped nerve’

The term ‘trapped nerve’ is often used by the average person to describe radicular pain going into their back, shoulder, arm or even their leg or foot.

To start with, pain usually develops in your neck & may spread to the shoulder or base of your skull. Movement of the neck feels restricted & moving your neck may make the pain worse. Some headaches can be the result of tension or stiffness in the neck & upper back.

The pain sometimes spreads down an arm, sometimes as far as your fingers. This is possibly due to irritation of a nerve going to your arm from the spinal cord in your neck. There are peripheral entrapment sites for a nerve too (around the upper chest & the arm itself). Tell a us if these symptoms occur, as we will want to check there is no significant pressure or damage to a nerve in your neck.

Pain from a trapped nerve can be shooting, burning, tingling, numbness, pins & needles, a nagging ache or feel hot or cold.

Neck pain & muscle spasm

Muscle spasm is a potential component of having neck pain & a ‘trapped nerve’. This is because the inflammation related to both neck pain & nerve pain usually requires muscle spasm to be present.

Muscle spasm will usually be both a causative component of & an effect of neck pain and nerve pain.

We work to help relieve muscle spasm so that you can get back to normal function as soon as possible.

How we can help

Using a variety of techniques, we aim to relax tight muscles & help your joints become more mobile. This enables blood flow to increase around the joints & any inflamed nerve tissue, easing & taking away your symptoms.

Sometimes, joint manipulation is needed, but sometimes not & we can use much gentler techniques. It largely depends upon what is the cause & what approach to treatment you prefer.

There is research evidence to support our therapies at Baks helping neck pain & trapped nerve, why not check out the articles on our Research Evidence page.

You’re safe in our hands.

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