Pinched Nerve Health Article

Definition

A pinched nerve is caused by some anatomical structure putting pressure on a nerve and impairing its function. This problem may occur in many different areas of the body. The most common places are those in which a nerve must travel through a small space. Examples include the region where the nerve roots exit the spine called the intervertebral foramen, and the carpal tunnel at the wrist, where a nerve must travel through a tunnel created by the wrist bones and ligaments.

Description

A pinched nerve may go by several different names. It may be called nerve compression, entrapment, or impingement. Many problems involving pinched nerves will be called syndromes. Examples include carpal tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, and piriformis syndrome. If the nerve is pinched right near its root where it attaches to the spinal cord it is often called a radiculopathy.

The nerves that exit the spine and go down the upper limb and lower limb are gathered together in groups. Each group of nerves is called a plexus. In the neck region the nerves that leave the neck and go down the upper arm make up the brachial plexus. In the low back region, the nerves that go down the leg may come from the lumbar plexus or the sacral plexus. If a nerve is pinched where it is part of a plexus, it may be called a plexopathy. If the nerve is pinched farther along its length after it has left the plexus it is called a neuropathy.

A nerve is responsible for carrying two different types of signals. It carries sensory information, such as sensations of heat, pressure, texture, pain, or body position back to the spinal cord where that information will eventually be transmitted directly to the brain. These sensory signals that travel through the nerves are called afferent signals. A nerve also carries motor signals from the brain and spinal cord that tell the muscles when and how much to contract in order to create movement in the body. These motor signals that go from the brain and spinal cord out to the muscles are called efferent signals. When a nerve is pinched it may cause dysfunction with either the sensory (afferent) or motor (efferent) signals.