We’ve all heard the saying “no pain, no gain”. It’s usually used to encourage people to put up with temporary discomfort for long-term benefits. That’s fine, as far as it goes, but there are times when pain is a serious message from your body that something is wrong and requires attention. Pain from a pinched nerve is one of those times. If caught early, a pinched nerve can often be treated with rest, over the counter medication, or physical therapy. Here are symptoms you should pay attention to and call your doctor.

If you’re suffering with pinched nerves, you’ll probably experience the feeling of pins and needles or your extremities “falling asleep”. This is normal if you have been sitting on your leg for a while. If you slept in a weird position, you might wake up with your arm asleep. However, it’s not normal if you get these sensations without an obvious cause. It can mean that your nerves are being compressed. Muscle numbness can be another symptom. This usually indicates that the area has poor blood flow, which results from compression.

Another symptom of compressed nerves is muscle weakness in a particular part of the body. This can indicate that motor nerves–the ones that carry messages between the muscles and the brain–are pinched. On the other end of the spectrum, you might feel an electric kind of pain that radiates out. If it begins in your lower back and travels to your legs, it’s called sciatica.

EMG/NCS Testing Helps Diagnose a Pinched Nerve

If you experience any of these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor about it as soon as possible. Your doctor might order an MRI, ultrasound, or EMG/NCS testing. The last type of testing measures how well the nerves are firing.

Feel free to contact us at Precision Medical Group to get testing for nerve function.