Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSensationCausesQuick ReliefTreatmentExcercisesHealing TimeIf It Still Hurts
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Sensation
Causes
Quick Relief
Treatment
Excercises
Healing Time
If It Still Hurts
A pinched nerve in the neck can cause pain, numbness, and weakness that extends through the neck, shoulder, and arm.The medical name for neck nerve pain is “cervical radiculopathy.”
While the symptoms of a pinched nerve in the neck and shoulder can be really uncomfortable, treatment for a pinched nerve in the neck can help. Rest, over-the-counter (OTC) pain relief, physical therapy, steroid injections, and wearing a neck collar can relieve pain and discomfort from a pinched nerve. Luckily, most of the time a pinched nerve resolves on its own within days or weeks.
Continue reading to learn more about a pinched nerve in the neck, including why this causes neck nerve pain (also called cervical spine pain) and what treatments can help.
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How a Pinched Nerve in the Neck Feels
The symptoms of a pinched nerve in your neck are:
Oftentimes, these symptoms happen only on one side of the body. Some people find that their pain is less when they lift their hand onto their head, since this can take pressure off the nerve.
How Do You Pinch a Nerve in Your Neck?
To understand a pinched nerve, it’s helpful to learn about thespinal cord. The area of the spinal cord around the neck is known as yourcervical spine. It’s made up of seven vertebrae (spinal bones). Your nerves branch off from the spinal cords in the spaces between your vertebrae.
A pinched nerve occurs when the space between two vertebrae is reduced. This puts pressure on the nerve, “pinching” it and causing pain.
Pinched nerves can occur due to age because the spinal discs between your vertebrae naturally become compressed over time. Age causes about 70% to 80% of pinched nerves.
Other factors that cause pinched nerves include:
A Guide to Managing Cervical Spinal Stenosis
Quick Relief for Pinched Nerve Pain in the Neck
If you have nerve pain and think you have a pinched nerve, you can start treatments at home. Here’s how:
Treatment for Severe Symptoms of a Pinched Nerve in the Neck
If your pain doesn’t resolve within a few days, or if it is so bad that you can’t go about your day, it’s time to see a healthcare provider. Healthcare providers can diagnose a pinched nerve after a physical exam. They might also recommend imaging, including anX-ray,computed tomography (CT) scan,magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)orelectromyography (EMG). These imaging techniques can reveal what’s causing your pain.
After diagnosing your condition, your healthcare provider will make a treatment plan, which may include the following:
Oral Corticosteroids
Oral steroids like prednisone can help reduce inflammation. It can be helpful if inflammation or swelling in your neck is putting more pressure on the nerve.
Muscle Relaxers
Thesemedicationskeep the muscles in your neck from seizing up. As the muscles relax, you may get relief from nerve pain.
Cervical Collar
A soft cervical collar is a brace that fits around your neck. It supports your head so that your neck muscles are able to relax, which can facilitate healing. The collar can also keep your head from turning in ways that are painful.
Steroid Injections
Steroid shotsreduce inflammation quickly because they’re given right into the tissue that’s painful.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapycan help you build strength and flexibility in your neck. This is especially important if you have pinched nerve pain that happens frequently in the same spot.
Narcotic Pain Medications
Neck Exercises With a Pinched Nerve
Gentle stretches for your neckcan help alleviate the pain from a pinched nerve. Try the following stretches:
While it’s normal for exercises to hurt a little, they should never hurt more than a 5 on a pain scale of 1 to 10.If they do, stop exercising.
How Long Does a Pinched Nerve in the Neck Take to Heal?
If you’re in pain you probably want to know how soon it will stop. Unfortunately, the answer is, it depends. Some people find the pain from a pinched nerve goes away in days.For others, it can last for weeks. Occasionally, the pain goes away and then returns. The treatments above can help lessen the pain and manage it while it lasts.
Pinched Nerve in Neck Still Hurting
If your pain doesn’t go away with the treatments above or lasts more than a few days, talk with your healthcare provider or return for a second visit. Rarely do people need surgery to stop the pain from a pinched nerve.Your healthcare provider will discuss whether surgery is a good option for you, and what to expect in terms of pain relief.
Summary
A pinched nerve can cause lots of pain, numbness and weakness. Using over-the-counter pain medications, resting your muscles, and gentle stretching can help. If you’re still in pain after a day or two, see your healthcare provider. They can prescribe medications or recommend a brace that might help with pain relief.
Physical therapy can help if you have recurrent pinched nerve pain. It’s very rare that someone will need surgery to treat a pinched nerve, but if other treatments don’t help, surgery can provide relief.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.OrthoInfo.Cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve).Harvard Health Publishing.Treating a pinched nerve.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Definition of pinched nerve.National Health Service.Exercises for neck problems.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.OrthoInfo.Cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve).Harvard Health Publishing.Treating a pinched nerve.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Definition of pinched nerve.National Health Service.Exercises for neck problems.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.OrthoInfo.Cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve).Harvard Health Publishing.Treating a pinched nerve.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Definition of pinched nerve.National Health Service.Exercises for neck problems.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.OrthoInfo.Cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve).
Harvard Health Publishing.Treating a pinched nerve.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Definition of pinched nerve.
National Health Service.Exercises for neck problems.
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