Trapped nerve pain

Nerves extend from your brain and spinal cord, sending and receiving important messages throughout your body. If you are suffering from a trapped nerve (nerve compression) your body may send you warning signals such as pain.

how does the pain appear ?

It’s common sense to say that a sedentary way of life associated with a bad diet and negative feelings are making the ground for health issues, discomfort and pain. It might not be so easy to understand why, mainly because of the change of scale in the process. Pain is first happening at a microscopic level. A local chemical reaction somewhere in your body triggers a neurological signal. This signal is received by your central nervous system and becomes conscious at a macroscopic level : « pain ».

how does a nerve work ?

We are not computers or cars. For instance, take a look at a nerve section. It’s not a simple electric wire, and not even a cable with lots of wires inside. It’s alive, made of cells, surrounded by connective tissues, fat and water. Inside nerves like the sciatic nerve, there are little blood vessels, arteries and veins. You know the sciatic nerve ? The one that causes so much pain from the lower back to the back of legs and feet.

What does that mean ? It means that when you are too stiff and contracted, when tissues are dried and damaged over time, the nerves are getting squeezed and trapped. Consequently the blood supply becomes deficient, the cells are suffering and the nerve is locally swollen. Therefore, nervous signals are affected, it becomes inflamed, painful and eventually you experience paralysis on top of pain.

how can you reduce pain ?

In fact, nerves are made of cells, they need blood supply and waste drain. Cells are tiny balls of water separated from other tiny balls of water by a layer of oil (the cell membrane). Actually inside our bodies, in the intimacy of life itself, everything is immersed in water ! This is the microscopic reason why health needs pumping : the heart beat, the respiratory muscles, walking and body movements. Everything we do everyday has a deep impact of the microscopic life of our cells.

To conclude

Move, stretch and breath to keep your body adaptable and comfortable. Walk, swim, do yoga pilates QiGong, manage your time and express yourself, whatever works for you ! An osteopath can help you if you’re in pain or if you don’t know where to start to improve your comfort.