Dr. Eck received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Catholic University of America in Biomedical Engineering, followed by a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University. Following this he worked as a research engineer conducting spine biomechanics research. He then attended medical school at University of Health Sciences. He is board eligible in orthopaedic surgery.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Featured pinched nerve patient discussions on experience
"I have a pinched nerve in my neck; this causes stiffness in my neck and numbness on my right hand and fingers. I go to my therapist 2 or 3 times a week and after a session of therapy I feel relieved, but it lasts only for a short time. Is there a cure for it or a specific medication I can take?"
"Had surgery I had surgery for disk in neck L4 L5 metal cage bone graph. Never been the same since. Terrible neck pain from a few years ago finally 6 months ago it left. Now my arms to my fingers are numb and burning and I can't sleep. Muscle ache and cramping in my arms are a daily thing. I wear braces on wrists when I sleep. I have been to a pain clinic and had shots in my neck. I don't like to be drugged up all the time. I have been on most of the drugs that they have for this, but now I take nothing. I would rather know what's causing it. I have had shingles 3 times on my side arm and face."
"I have problems with Sciatica at times. I have found that sitting on an ice pack for about 45 minutes to and hour and taking some ibuprofen (anti inflammatory) literally takes all the pain away. Nothing else seemed to help, including prescriptions. Just ice and Motrin did the trick for me. Stretches help give more instant relief, but the ice and ibuprofen takes the pain away completely."
Nerves are like electrical cords that carry information from the brain to the rest of
the body and vice-versa. They are distributed throughout the entire body.
Motor
(efferent) nerves carry information from the brain out to the
body. This allows the brain to send commands to the various organs of the body.
For example, these commands are sent to the muscles causing them to contract
and move, or sends information to the
heart to either beat faster or
slower.
Sensory (afferent) nerves send information from the body back to the brain
for processing, including information about
pain, touch,
taste, temperature, or
other sensations.
The information travels along the nerve by an electrochemical signal, much
like information traveling along an electrical cord. When a nerve is pinched,
the signal is interrupted somewhere along its path.
What causes a pinched nerve?
A pinched nerve is caused when a nerve is somehow damaged or injured by
direct pressure or compression and is unable to properly conduct its signal.
There are many potential causes for a pinched nerve, depending on the location
of the nerve.
Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal through which the nerves pass
with the spine. A pinched nerve in the lower back or buttock can compress the
sciatic nerve, which can cause sciatica.
Sciatica pain, caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve, typically radiates from the low back to behind the thigh to below the knee. Disc herniation is usually the cause of sciatica. Medication to alleviate pain, physical therapy, and bed rest are treatments for sciatica.
There are many causes of back pain. Pain in the low back can relate to the bony lumbar spine, discs between the vertebrae, ligaments around the spine and discs, spinal cord and nerves, muscles of the low back, internal organs of the pelvis and abdomen, and the skin covering the lumbar area.
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition characterized by high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. The two types of diabetes are referred to as type 1 (insulin dependent) and type 2 (non-insulin dependent). Symptoms of diabetes include increased urine output, thirst, hunger, and fatigue. Treatment of diabetes depends on the type.
Arthritis is inflammation of one or more joints. When joints are inflamed they can develop stiffness, warmth, swelling, redness and pain. There are over 100 types of
arthritis including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus, gout,
and pseudogout.
Elbow pain is most often the result of tendinitis, which can affect the inner or outer elbow. Treatment includes ice, rest, and medication for inflammation. Inflammation, redness, warmth, swelling, tenderness, and decreased range of motion are other symptoms associated with elbow pain. Treatment for elbow pain depends upon the nature of the patient's underlying disease or condition.
Neck pain (cervical pain) may be caused by any number of disorders and diseases. Tenderness is another symptom of neck pain. Though treatment for neck pain really depends upon the cause, treatment typically may involve heat/ice application, traction, physical therapy, cortisone injection, topical anesthetic creams, and muscle relaxants.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition in which irritation of the wrist's median nerve causes tingling and numbness of the thumb, index, and the middle fingers. This condition is known as tarsal tunnel syndrome in the ankles and feet. Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome depends on the severity of the symptoms and the nature of any disease that might be causing the symptoms.
A herniated disc may be caused by injury or degeneration from age. Symptoms depend on the location of the herniation and whether nerve tissue is being irritated. An MRI or CT scan is performed to diagnose a herniated disc. Treatment may involve physical therapy, cortisone injection, pain medications, antiinflammatory medications, muscle relaxants, and surgery.
Pain management and treatment can be simple or complex, according to its cause. There are two basic types of pain, nociceptive pain and neuropathic pain. Some causes of neuropathic pain includes: complex regional pain syndrome, interstitial cystitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. There are a variety of methods to treat chronic pain, which are dependant on the type of pain experienced.
Lumbar stenosis can be caused by degenerative arthritis (the most common cause), tumor, infection, or metabolic disorders (Paget's disease of the bone). Symptoms include low back pain, weakness, pain, numbness, and loss of sensation in the legs. Other conditions may cause similar symptoms of lumbar stenosis, including diabetic neuropathy, claudication, and peripheral vascular disease. Diagnosis, is a medical history and imaging studies. Lumbar stenosis may be treated with medication or surgery.
Neuropathic pain is chronic pain resulting from injury to the nervous system. The injury can be to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) or the peripheral nervous system (nerves outside the brain and spinal cord).
Diabetic Neuropathy is a complication of diabetes that causes damage to the nerves; this is related to the blood glucose of the body being too high for a long period of time. The four types of neuropathy include peripheral, autonomic, proximal and focal.
Degenerative disc disease makes the disc more susceptible to herniation (rupture) which can lead to localized or radiating pain. The pain from degenerative disc or joint disease of the spine is usually treated conservatively with intermittent heat, rest, rehabilitative exercises and medications to relieve pain, muscle spasm and inflammation.
Chronic pain is pain (an unpleasant sense of discomfort) that persists or progresses over a long period of time. In contrast to acute pain that arises suddenly in response to a specific injury and is usually treatable, chronic pain persists over time and is often resistant to medical treatments.
There are many types of urinary incontinence (UI), which is the accidental leakage of urine. These types include stress incontinence, urge incontinence, and overflow incontinence. Urinary incontinence in men may be caused by prostate or nerve problems. Treatment depends upon the type and severity of the UI and the patient's lifestyle.
Millions of women suffer from urinary incontinence (UI). UI occurs twice as often in women as in men. There are many types of urinary incontinence: stress incontinence, urge incontinence, overactive bladder, functional incontinence, overflow incontinence, transient incontinence, and mixed incontinence.
Bowel or fecal incontinence refers to the loss of voluntary control of stool, or bowel movements. The condition can include partial incontinence, in which a person loses only a small amount of liquid waste, to complete incontinence, in which the entire bowel movement cannot be controlled. Diet changes and elimination of certain medications can help patients to regain bowel control. Treatment involves a combination of medication, biofeedback, and exercise.
Early warning signs of job stress include headache, sleep disturbance, difficulty in concentrating, short temper, upset stomach, job dissatisfaction, and low morale. Stress on the job can be damaging to your health in that job stress is the outcome when job demands cannot be met.
Repetitive motion disorders (RMDs) are muscular conditions that result from repeated motions. Carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, bursitis, and tendonitis are types of RMDs. Symptoms and signs include pain, swelling, numbness, tingling, and loss of strength and flexibility. Treatment involves stopping the activity that's causing symptoms, adopting stretching and relaxation exercises, icing the affected area, and using pain relievers.
What is the anatomy of the disc of the spine (intervertebral disc)?
The disc is an important structure that rests between the bony building
blocks of the spine (vertebrae). The disc in the spine is sometimes referred to
as the intervertebral disc. Intervertebral discs help provide flexibility to our
spine. They also lessen the effect of impact on our spine by cushioning the bony
vertebrae. The disc is designed somewhat like a jelly donut. The disc has a
stronger outer layer (the annulus) that is
rather like a radial tire, and an inner gel (the nucleus) that acts as a sort of
shock absorber or cushion between
the bones of the spine.
What happens to the disc with injury or age?
With injury or age, these discs can become damaged, and the supporting
ligaments surrounding them weaken. One of the reasons we lose height as we age
is that the intervertebral discs lose their water content. This leads to
shrinkage of ...
