A pinched spinal nerve can cause symptoms in a hurry, but those symptoms aren’t always isolated to the area of the nerve compression. Sometimes pain is centralized to the location of the compressed nerve, but other times it can cause a multitude of symptoms in other areas of the body depending on which nerve ends up compressed. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at five surprising symptoms of spinal nerve compression.
Signs Of A Pinched Spinal Nerve
With any of the following symptoms, it’s important to realize that their severity can vary from mild to extreme. Just because symptoms are mild doesn’t mean it’s an issue that can be ignored, because without direct treatment, odds are they will slowly get worse. Not only does that typically mean more pain, but as nerve damage or compression gets worse, treatment success likelihood decreases. So if you’re experiencing any of these issues, know that it’s in your best interest to speak to a spine specialist to see if they could be tied to a pinched spinal nerve.
- Tingling Fingers – We’re starting with this symptom because it’s not a painful symptom, and many people assume that they’ll obviously notice the signs of a compressed nerve because they believe it will be painful. That’s certainly not always the cause. A shifted spinal disc can compress a nerve along its path down your arms, which can inhibit sensations in your extremities. In mild cases, that can manifest in the form of tingly or numb fingers.
- Foot Falling Asleep – A similar symptom that can develop in another extremity is a numb foot or the sensation that your foot has fallen asleep. Compressed spinal nerves can disrupt nerve signals to your brain and cause numbing or a loss of sensation in your feet. Most people assume foot numbness is caused by a lack of healthy blood flow to the area, but know that a pinched spinal nerve can also be the culprit.
- Shooting Pain – Pain is an obvious sign of a problem, but again, it doesn’t always have to be housed at the source of the issue. Nerve compression can lead to pain signals being sent to the brain and misinterpreted as pain in another location, like in your arm, legs or hip. Oftentimes nerve compression pain isn’t in a singular location, it’s described as radiating or shooting pain. If pain feels as if it’s moving down one side of your body or throughout your extremities, know that a nerve issue is likely in play.
- Inhibited Gait – Our body doesn’t like pain, which is why it oftentimes does things subconsciously to free itself from pain. One of these subconscious alterations is our gait, or how we walk. Sometimes our natural walking pattern causes this compressed nerve to fire off pain signals, but if we alter our gait a bit, we can avoid this pain. However, now you’re walking with a hitch in your step or a limp, which is putting extra stress on other areas of your body. If you notice that you’re not walking normally or you’re trying to walk to avoid pain, you should consider having a doctor examine your spine.
- Muscle Spasms – Finally, muscle spasms could be an indication of a compressed nerve in your spine. When a nerve near a muscle is compressed, the muscle may react to the pressure that is being placed on that nerve, causing it to spasm. Your brain senses the compression and your muscle involuntarily reacts in the form of a spasm. If you’re dealing with spinal muscle spasms, know that the root cause could be from a pinched nerve.
If you’re dealing with any of these symptoms, or you need assistance with a different spinal issue, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and the team at the Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today.
