Treating Nerve Entrapment – Glastonbury, CT

What Causes Nerve Pain?

Nerve pain can be caused by many factors, but the most common is a direct injury to a nerve, such as a bruise or overstretching, or nerve entrapment.

What is Nerve Entrapment?

Also called a pinched or compressed nerve, nerve entrapment occurs when a nerve gets squeezed by surrounding tissue, such as muscles. Almost all of the nerves in the body pass around, between, or through muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Some nerves, such as those exiting the spine, also pass through bony canals, and they can get squeezed if a canal becomes too narrow.

When a nerve gets squeezed, its blood supply gets reduced, and this causes nerve irritation. This irritation can cause pain and nerve symptoms such as numbness, tingling, and a sense of weakness. (When you cross your legs and your foot falls asleep, that’s due to the nerve and blood vessels getting compressed.) Some cases of nerve entrapment, like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, are easy to diagnose. Others aren’t as cut-and-dry, and the diagnosis can be elusive.

What Are the Symptoms of Nerve Entrapment?

The symptoms of nerve entrapment depend on the affected nerve. In addition to pain, you may also experience:

• Radiating numbness or tingling in other areas
• Muscle weakness
• Burning sensations
• Pins and needles

Symptoms usually worsen with or without movement.

How is Nerve Entrapment Treated?

Simple nerve entrapment is often easily treated with soft tissue release techniques used in physical therapy or with special treatments such as A.R.T. (Active Release Technique) or the Graston technique.

For more severe cases, the team at the New England Stem Cell Institute uses a technique called nerve hydrodissection to release trapped nerves. During the procedure, your doctor injects a mixture of saline and anesthetic into the tissue surrounding your compressed nerve using ultrasound guidance. The ultrasound allows precise visualization of both the nerve and the needle. The fluid decompresses the nerve, helps restore blood flow, and eases your pain. In the vast majority of cases, the treatment is either completely painless or only minimally uncomfortable. You might need more than one treatment to get the best results depending on the severity of your condition and how long you’ve had it. The treatment is designed to cure the problem, which means your pain should go away completely.