1. Surprising Reasons You're in Pain Slideshow Pictures
2. Slideshow: Good and Bad Exercises for Low Back Pain
3. Take the Pain Quiz!

Medical Author:

Jason C. Eck, DO, MS

Jason C. Eck, DO, MS

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.

View Full Profile

Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

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.

View Full Profile

In this Article

• Pinched nerve facts
• Introduction to pinched nerve
• What causes a pinched nerve?
• Pinched nerve in the neck or lower back
• Pinched nerve in the wrist or elbow
• Other causes of pinched nerve
• What are the symptoms of a pinched nerve?
• How is a pinched nerve diagnosed?
• How is a pinched nerve treated?
• What is a patent's prognosis for a pinched nerve?
• Patient Comments: Pinched Nerve - In Neck
• Patient Comments: Pinched Nerve - In Back
• Patient Comments: Pinched Nerve - Describe Your Experience
• Patient Comments: Pinched Nerve - Treatments
• Patient Comments: Pinched Nerve - In Neck, Treatment
• Find a local Neurologist in your town
• Pinched Nerve Index

Swelling around a nerve can be caused by an injury, bruise, or other conditions, including the swelling of the extremities that can occur with pregnancy. An inherited tendency, as manifested by a family history of a similar condition, can also increase an individual's chance of developing a pinched nerve.

The symptoms of a pinched nerve depend on what nerve is affected. Each nerve is responsible for sending information to or from specific parts of the body.

The most common symptoms of a pinched nerve are:

• pain,
  
  
• numbness,
  
  
• tingling (pins and needles), or
  
  
• weakness of the muscles along the path of the nerve.

A pinched nerve sensation may feel like, for example, the sensation when a part of your body has "fallen asleep." A pinched nerve can cause symptoms at the site of damage, or any location further down the path from the affected nerve.

• A pinched nerve in the neck can cause neck pain or stiffness, along with symptoms down the arm.
  
  
• A pinched nerve in the lower back causes back pain and stiffness with symptoms down the leg. A doctor can often identify which nerve is pinched in the neck or lower back based on what portion of the patient's arm or leg is affected.
  
  
• A pinched nerve in the wrist from carpal tunnel syndrome typically affects the thumb, index, and middle fingers. It can also cause a weakness in the patient's grip strength, and atrophy of the muscle of the palm near the thumb. A pinched nerve in the elbow from cubital tunnel syndrome affects the forearm, the ring (fourth finger), and the small fingers of the hand.