Pinched Nerve Treatment in St. Augustine, FL
A pinched nerve is pressure or irritation on a nerve, usually where it leaves the spine, causing pain, tingling, numbness or weakness. At Back in Motion in St. Augustine, Dr. Colby Caltrider pinpoints which nerve and why, then treats it with adjustment, spinal decompression, laser therapy and corrective exercise.
Can a chiropractor fix a pinched nerve?
A chiropractor can often help, especially when the pressure on the nerve comes from a stiff joint, a disc, or tight muscle around the spine. The goal is to take pressure off the nerve so it can calm down. Not every pinched nerve is a chiropractic case, and the exam tells us which ones are.
“Pinched nerve” is not a formal diagnosis. Providers call it nerve entrapment, or name the specific condition behind it, such as radiculopathy or spinal stenosis (Cleveland Clinic). A nerve can be pinched where it leaves the spine in the neck, mid back or low back, or farther out, at the elbow or the wrist (carpal tunnel).
Common causes include herniated discs, arthritis with bone spurs, injuries and spinal stenosis. The risk rises after age 50 and with repetitive motion (Cleveland Clinic).
Should you go to a chiropractor for a pinched nerve in the neck?
If you have neck pain with tingling, numbness or pain running into the shoulder or arm, and no sudden weakness, a chiropractic exam is a reasonable place to start. We test which nerve root is involved and why, and refer out if the findings call for an MRI or a specialist.
How quickly can a chiropractor fix a pinched nerve?
Some people feel better within a few visits; others take several weeks. Pinched-nerve symptoms may go away in a few days or weeks with rest, and care aims to speed that up and keep it from returning.
See a provider if you are not improving after a couple of weeks, and as soon as possible for intense pain or sudden weakness (Cleveland Clinic). Dr. Colby gives you a plan and re-checks your strength, reflexes and sensation as you go, so you can see whether the nerve is recovering.
Can a chiropractor tell if you have a pinched nerve?
Yes. Orthopedic and neurologic tests (reflexes, muscle strength, skin sensation and nerve-tension tests) show whether a nerve is involved and roughly where. On-site X-rays show the bones, disc spaces and arthritis that can narrow the space a nerve passes through.
X-rays do not show the nerve or disc itself. If your exam suggests a significant disc herniation, stenosis or a nerve that is losing function, Dr. Colby will refer you for an MRI or to a specialist.
How do you release a pinched nerve in your neck?
There is no single trick. Relief usually comes from reducing pressure and irritation: rest from the aggravating position, gentle movement, and treatment of the joint, disc or muscle causing it. Avoid forcing your neck through painful stretches.
Things that often help at home: changing your screen and phone posture, short breaks from looking down, and gentle range-of-motion within comfort. In the office, we use adjustment, cervical decompression and laser therapy, described below.
What a pinched nerve feels like
The Cleveland Clinic lists tingling, burning, “pins and needles,” numbness, sharp or dull pain, and muscle weakness in moderate to severe cases (Cleveland Clinic). Where you feel it depends on which nerve is involved.
- Sudden weakness in an arm, hand, leg or foot
- Loss of bladder or bowel control, or numbness in the groin (go to the ER)
- Intense pain that is getting worse
Pinched nerve in the neck
A nerve root pinched in the neck (cervical radiculopathy) usually causes neck pain plus symptoms in the shoulder blade, arm or hand. Which fingers tingle helps tell us which level is involved. Common causes are a disc, arthritis and bone spurs, and old whiplash injuries.
Treatment usually includes gentle cervical adjustment or mobilization, cervical decompression, laser therapy and posture work. If your symptoms started after a car accident, see our auto accident and whiplash page.
Pinched nerve in the lower back
A nerve root pinched in the low back (lumbar radiculopathy) is what most people call sciatica: pain, tingling or numbness running into the buttock and down the leg. A herniated disc is the most common cause in younger adults; stenosis and arthritis are more common after 50.
Back on Trac spinal decompression is often the center of the plan here, with adjustment and corrective exercise.
Pinched nerve in the arm, elbow or wrist
Nerves can also be squeezed away from the spine. The best-known example is carpal tunnel syndrome, where the median nerve is compressed at the wrist, causing numbness and tingling in the thumb and first fingers. The ulnar nerve at the elbow (the “funny bone”) is another common spot.
Part of the exam is ruling the neck in or out, because a pinched nerve in the neck can cause hand symptoms that look like carpal tunnel. Treatment can include wrist and elbow adjustments, soft-tissue work, laser therapy, kinesio taping and workstation changes.
What we use for a pinched nerve
- Chiropractic adjustment to restore motion in stiff spinal or extremity joints.
- Back on Trac spinal decompression to unload discs and nerve roots in the neck or low back.
- Class IV and cold laser therapy to calm inflammation around the irritated nerve.
- Corrective exercise so the nerve stays calm once it settles.
Every plan starts with an exam. See what happens at your first visit.
Can a chiropractor make a pinched nerve worse?
Forceful treatment on an inflamed nerve root can aggravate it. That is why we examine first, image when needed, and choose gentle techniques or decompression when a nerve is acutely irritated.
Dr. Colby Caltrider, D.C.
Palmer College graduate · OwnerDr. Colby tests strength, reflexes and sensation to find which nerve is involved and why, then builds a plan around it. If the findings call for an MRI or specialist, he refers you.
When someone walks in here in pain, my job isn't to sell them a package. My job is to figure out what's going on and get them moving again. That's it.
Tingling, numbness or nerve pain?
Book an exam. We will find which nerve is involved, why, and what will help.