Do I have a pinched nerve?

Do I have a pinched nerve?

You wake up with a crick in your neck, or a pain down the leg. Normally, symptoms like these seem to go away. Today they did not. Why this could happen and is it serious?

This is an all too common experience for many people as they attempt to go about their daily activities. Often, we make the wrong choices because honestly, we just don’t know why we are hurting and we do not understand why the pain would not go as it came. Many people will then speak with others who offer advice based on their own experiences and unfortunately, often times they are wrong. Some may say you may have a pinched nerve (this is extremely rare by the way). Others may suggest you visit a surgeon or an orthopedic. Should you visit a surgeon for something that rarely requires surgery? Does your primary doctor have the answers? Who should you go to?

More people have begun to consider a chiropractor as the first choice because their practice is non-surgical and they are trained to look at the whole body, not just the parts. They also specialize in the musculoskeletal system and understand conservative care, while referring those who require surgery or have problems that require a medical provider. The good news is most people will be quite happy (studies show this again and again) with the results they get.

Using the chiropractor, many people will find out that surgery is often not required and they can avoid many tests which save themselves and the system quite a lot of money. In the book Cheating Mother Nature, what you need to know to beat chronic pain, Dr. Charschan the author tries to demystify the process of getting out of pain. The problem is, says Dr. Charschan that people make these decisions out of fear rather than from knowledge, and as a result, go to the wrong healthcare providers, and have things done to them and take drugs that are just not necessary because they have a poor understanding of why they hurt. The book explains functionally why people hurt and teaches you how to find the right provider for you by understanding how the body works explained in simple terms. Most people who read the book will make better healthcare choices for themselves and their families because they will now understand how body mechanics is actually the problem and the pain in the neck or the leg is just a symptom of a greater issue. Since treating the symptom is why our healthcare system is having many of the cost problems it has, looking at the body as a whole has its advantages says Charschan. Unfortunately, most people will buy a television with more knowledge than they make a healthcare decision and there are many therapies offered by the healthcare professions that just do not work. This book looks to change this and put the healthcare consumer in control.

Three things you can do to relieve that crick in the neck or pain in the leg.

1. Ice – ice for 10 to 15 minutes can relieve pain. Most people are surprised at how well it works.
2. Foot orthotics either custom or off the shelf – Since body asymmetries are the reason why most people develop problems in areas like the neck or pain down the leg, off the shelf inserts help balance the way you walk and in most cases, people feel better.
3. See your local chiropractor. It is safe, effective and will save you weeks to months to years of undue suffering. They understand body mechanics better than any other healthcare profession.

What do you think? As always, I welcome your comments.

The book Cheating Mother Nature, what you need to know to beat chronic pain is available through Amazon.com and other major book sellers. It is also available in the Kindle e reader format.