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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffA pinched nerve occurs when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues — such as bones, cartilage, muscles or tendons. This pressure disrupts the nerve's function, causing pain, tingling, numbness or weakness.
A pinched nerve can occur anywhere in your body. A herniated disk in your lower spine, for example, may put pressure on a nerve root, causing pain that radiates down the back of your leg (sciatica). Likewise, a pinched nerve in your wrist can lead to pain and numbness in your hand and fingers (carpal tunnel syndrome).
With rest and other conservative treatments, most people recover from the effects of a pinched nerve within a few days or weeks. Sometimes, surgery is necessary to relieve pain from a pinched nerve.
- NINDS pinched nerve information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/pinchednerve/pinchednerve.htm. Oct. 21, 2008.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/detail_carpal_tunnel.htm. Nov. 6, 2008.
- Tsai P, et al. Median and radial nerve compression about the elbow. The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. 2008;90:420.
- Spinner RJ. Outcomes for peripheral nerve entrapment syndromes. Clinical Neurosurgery. 2006;53:285.
- Swanson JW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 11, 2008.
