Pinched Nerve
Treatments & Surgery
California Neurosurgergical Institute
Encino CA, Valencia CA, Bakersfield CA.
Pinched nerves can be extremely painful, and also cause other unpleasant problems such as burning sensations and loss of function.
If you have a pinched nerve, the board-certified team of doctors at California Neurosurgical Institute can help with a range of treatments.
If you live in or near Bakersfield, Encino, or Valencia, California, you could benefit from the world-class skills of the neurosurgeons at California Neurosurgical Institute.
Call your nearest office today to schedule a consultation or book an appointment online.
Pinched Nerve Q & A
What is a pinched nerve?
A pinched nerve is one that’s coming under pressure from a nearby bone, muscle, or other type of tissue. Pinched nerves can cause both severe and chronic pain, as well as unpleasant sensations like burning and prickling. They can also make parts of your body feel numb or desensitized.
Common causes of pinched nerves include:
- Sports injuries
- Repetitive stress
- Obesity
- Degenerative diseases
- Auto accidents
- Bulging or slipped discs
- Spinal stenosis
In some cases, medical conditions can lead to pinched nerves, or make nerve compression more likely. For example, carpal tunnel syndrome, which is caused by pressure on the median nerve in your wrist, is more common in people who have hypothyroidism.
How is the cause of a pinched nerve diagnosed?
When you visit California Neurosurgical Institute, your provider talks with you at length about your current symptoms, general health, and medical history before carrying out a physical exam.
You might also need to undergo some diagnostic tests to confirm or rule out possible causes of your symptoms. These could include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, or high-resolution ultrasound, for example.
Electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies are specific tests for nerve conditions that measure the electrical activity and strength of the signals in your nerves.
What treatments are there for pinched nerves?
Initial approaches to treating pinched nerves are likely to include rest, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory medications. Other treatments vary according to the nerve involved. For instance, if you have carpal tunnel syndrome, you might benefit from wearing a wrist splint.
If these treatments don’t ease your discomfort, the team at California Neurosurgical Institute can give you steroid injections or nerve block injections to reduce inflammation and ease the pain.
If these conservative approaches aren’t helping with your pinched nerve, then surgery could be advisable.
The team at California Neurosurgical Institute has specialist expertise in carrying out minimally invasive decompression surgery for many conditions caused by pinched nerves, including:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome (wrist)
- Tardy ulnar palsy (elbow)
- Meralgia paresthetica (thigh)
- Tarsal tunnel syndrome (foot)
They also excel in carrying out microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm, and glossopharyngeal neuralgia, which are all painful conditions affecting the head.
As well as their expertise in carrying out surgery to relieve pinched nerve problems in your limbs and head, California Neurosurgical Institute is also a leading center for spinal surgery, treating conditions such as sciatica, herniated discs, spinal stenosis, and other conditions linked to pinched nerves.
