Will Physiotherapy Help Nerve Pain
Nerve pain can happen anywhere in our body. It usually occurs when something is pressing on the nerve, such as a slipped disc, but damage, injuries or growths can also cause it. It can be debilitating but will physiotherapy help nerve pain?
Here we’ll answer that question while also looking at the causes and symptoms of your pain. Finally, we’ll also look at what other treatment options are available. So, read on to find out more!
What Is Nerve Pain?
Nerve pain is also called neuralgia or neuropathic pain. It occurs in different parts of the body when the nerves that carry sensation to the brain are damaged or impaired.
This sends the wrong pain sensation signal to the nerve, which causes pain at the site of nerve damage. Nerve pain completely differs from what you feel when you cut or burn yourself. Nerve pain is more spontaneous.
This is primarily a result or by-product of other health-related issues, disorders, or diseases.
Causes and Symptoms of Nerve Pain
Among the many causes of nerve pain, the poor blood supply, deficiency of Vitamin B12 or Vitamin B1, medications, physical injuries and amputation are a few of them. However, perhaps the most common is an injury to the spine or nerves.
Some conditions cause nerve pain too, with diabetes being one of the most common. Cancer treatments, stroke, sclerosis, AIDS, and carpal tunnel syndrome are the other causes of nerve pain.
A person may experience symptoms like a sudden pain, stabbing-like pain, electric shock-like pain, burning, or pins and needles-like sensations.
Can Physiotherapy Help Heal Nerve Pain?
Nerve physiotherapy is considered one of the most effective ways to heal nerve pain. It helps reduce the pain from the affected nerve, promotes flexibility, and mobility of the muscles that are affected due to nerve damage so physiotherapy help nerve pain.
Addressing nerve damage immediately is important as not taking care of it can lead to further complications such as numbing and dysfunctioning of the nerve.
Physiotherapy uses physical methods to diffuse the damage, such as gentle massage, heat treatments, and mild exercise.
What Can You Expect from Nerve Physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy for nerve pain comprises many treatments. One or more than one of these can be used by the physiotherapist to heal the nerve pain.
Massage – It is the most common and well-known treatment to address pain. This technique uses the application of gentle pressure on the points of pain. This technique also uses a combination of compression, vibration, and kneading to promote nerve and muscle flexibility and relax the pain.
Dry Needling – It is one of the effective ways to reduce nerve pain and increase muscle mobility. This technique is great when dealing with a specific nerve-related problem. The technique comprises of insertion of an acupuncture needle into the pain point.
Stretching – Stretching combined with physio exercises helps relieve the pain better. Stretching improves muscle flexibility and reduces nerve pain.
Are Nerve Damages and Nerve Compression Different?
Yes, nerve damage and nerve compression are two different conditions. Nerve compression when left untreated leads to nerve damage. Trapped nerves are the cause of nerve compression, and they can be treated and cured, whereas nerve damage cannot be cured in some cases.
Nerve compression occurs when pressure is applied to the nearby tissues of the affected area. And as time progresses, unhealed trapped nerves can lead to nerve damage.
No heavy medication is required to relax the trapped nerve. Instead, over-the-counter painkillers, light massage and proper rest can heal a trapped nerve.
Can Nerve Pain Be Cured by Physiotherapy?
A physiotherapist helps the patient to manage the pain while their affected nerve is healing. When the nerve is damaged due to diseases like cancer, HIV, or shingles, it can be treated and taken care of. This will help reduce the further deterioration of the functioning of the damaged nerve.
Pain due to the pinched nerve is short-lived, while the nerve pain takes six to twelve weeks to be treated and bring back mobility in the affected area.
What Are the Other Options to Treat Nerve Pain?
Medicines do not cure nerve pain completely, but they allow the patient to subdue the pain and reduce the symptoms to move on with their daily routine effectively.
Apart from medicines, electrical stimulation uses an electrical impulse to block the pain-related signals being sent to the brain.
Other techniques like acupuncture, dietary supplements, and massages of various kinds can be considered. However, treatments for nerve pain require patience and take a long time to heal.
You may also get other forms of advice to treat your nerve pain but also prevent it from coming back again in the future. For example, your trapped nerve may be caused by your poor posture. If so, taking steps to improve your posture is not only important for pain relief by preventing future problems.
Other forms of daily care can help too, such as sleeping on a firm pillow, taking regular breaks from your desk and doing daily stretches. Your physiotherapist will work with you to look at any problematic areas in your routine and the positive changes that you can make.
Can a Chiropractor Help with Nerve Pain?
A chiropractor can help reduce nerve pain only if the pain is due to a pinched nerve. But if the pain is due to damage to the nerve, it will require much more than just a chiropractor. A chiropractor can help the patient with pinched nerves to reduce the pain effectively and increase the mobility of the muscles.
Final Thoughts
Physiotherapy is an effective way to treat nerve pain. It will help to reduce your pain while also allowing you to heal more quickly. The exact timetable for recovery will depend on your condition and finding out the root cause of your pain.
With nerve pain, patience is often required before you can be completely cured. A physiotherapist will come up with a custom plan to ensure you recover as quickly as possible. Get physiotherapy started right away, and your nerve pain will soon be a thing of the past.
