Do you ever have pain that shoots down your leg? How about your hands getting numb or painful? Ever get a headache because you’ve clenched your neck muscles so tight due to stress? More than likely, you’re experiencing some form of pain caused by a firing nerve, and these three examples are the ones I’m asked about most often.

It’s always important to get an examination and diagnosis of the potential cause of the pain. If it’s mechanical, that’s one thing. If it’s neural, your approach will be slightly different. The cause of the pain may be a completely different location than where you feel the pain. In the first example, the probable cause is an impingement of the sciatic nerve somewhere; it could be in the spine where the nerve exits the spinal cord or it could be in the pelvic girdle. The second is the classic symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome; the nerves in the neck and shoulder are the primary cause even though the resulting pain is in the wrist and hands.

The critical part of dealing with nerve pain is to try to relieve the pressure on the nerve. Physical therapy and possibly massage that stretches and strengthens the appropriate joints are critical, but they must be done consistently. For some, pain relievers other than non-steroidal anti-inflammatories may be beneficial. Supplements that may help would be high-DHA omega-3s, gingko biloba, and magnesium. If you pushed me to say what’s the best approach, I would say take whatever you can to relieve the pain so you can do the physical therapy. Use the supplements for a longer term solution.

One more type of pain to look at Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet