Introduction to pinched nerve
Every person in the world knows a little bit about the nerves that are in their body. Those who do not know, nerves are something like electrical cords that carry information from the brain to other body parts and the other way around. People should also know that there are nerves all over the body. It is important to know that there are two main types of nerves and these are motor nerves and sensory nerves. Motor nerves are also called efferent nerves and they carry out the information from the brain to the other body parts. Thanks to these nerves, the brain is able to send out commands. This way the brain can tell the muscles to contract and move or the heart when it is important for it to beat faster. Sensory nerves are also known as afferent nerves and these nerves send the information from the body parts back to the brain. In addition to this information, thanks to these nerves the brain is also aware of pain, touch, taste, temperature and other sensations. However, people need to know that the information will not travel properly if there is a pinched nerve. In this situation the signal is bound to get interrupted and will not reach its destination.
The causes of a pinched nerve
An injury or damage to the nerve is the main cause of a pinched nerve in most cases. These injuries usually occur due to direct pressure or compression. There are lots of situations when a person may pinch a nerve because the nerves are spread throughout the entire body.
Pinched nerve in wrist or elbow
Carpal tunnel syndrome is known to be one of the most common causes of pinched nerve in the wrist. A compression of the median nerve is what leads to this condition. A similar condition called cubital tunnel syndrome occurs when there is compression to the ulnar nerve. This nerve is located in the elbow. People who suffer from diabetes are more likely to suffer from these conditions than other people. It is more likely that they happen to people who perform certain repetitive actions like typing or use a computer keyboard for a long period of time.
Other causes
A pinched nerve may occur if there is swelling around it. An injury or bruise, but pregnancies as well are known to cause swelling.
Symptoms
The affected nerve will determine the symptoms but some of the symptoms that occur most often include pain, numbness, tingling and weakness of the muscles.
Your thoughts on this
Loading...