What Exactly is a Pinched Nerve?

Hearing the phrase “I pinched a nerve” is very common and many people have experienced nerve pain or related muscle weakness before. But what exactly is a pinched nerve, how do you know if you have one. 

What is a pinched nerve?

To understand what exactly a pinched nerve is we must first know what nerves are and how they work. Nerves are very special cells that make up our nervous system. They send messages in the form of electrical signals called nerve impulses from one area of the body to another. There are many different types of nerves and their functions and roles are complex. 

A pinched nerve occurs when the surrounding tissues compress the nerve. The surrounding tissue that compresses the nerves could be ligaments, tendons, muscles and bone, depending on where the area of compression occurs. The pressure causes the nerve to become irritated and inflamed. The pressure disrupts the nerves function causing many different symptoms including pain, weakness, and numbness or tingling. If you think of a nerve as a hose, when a hose is pinched the water can’t flow as quickly. When a nerve has pressure against it, the signals do not flow as easily. This disrupts the nerves control of the muscle that it connects with. Some nerves travel long distances throughout the body. So compression in one area of a nerve, might cause related symptoms somewhere else along the nerves path. Often pain, tingling and numbness occurs along the path of the nerve.