When pressure or force is put on an area of a nerve, it can get damaged. When that happens, the nerve can’t send regular signals to the brain. Instead it sends warning signals in the form of pain. This is what’s usually called a pinched nerve. Warning signals may vary from person to person, but around the area of the affected nerve, more common symptoms also include:
- Tingling (paresthesia)
- Burning
- Numbness or decreased sensation
- Stinging, aching, or burning pain that radiates outward
- Weakness
These symptoms are worse while lying down or after waking up. They manifest in the neck, back, hips, elbows, and wrists but may also occur in other body parts.
While a pinched nerve can go away on its own within a few days, it’s still important to pay it to heed because it puts a person at risk for other problems. Sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow symptoms may also appear in people experiencing pinched nerves.
Causes of Pinched Nerves
It’s important to realize that a pinched nerve is not a condition in itself, but rather a symptom of another. Age usually plays a factor, as younger people mostly suffer pinched nerves as a result of soft tissue problems while those more advanced in age can usually attribute it to degenerative diseases.
Among the many conditions that can result in pinched nerves are:
- Bulging Disc– where discs sag and bulge outwards
- Disc protrusion – a type of disc herniation where the protrusion is less than 25% of the disc circumference
- Herniated or ruptured disc– the disc’s outer covering is torn causing the center to leak into the spinal canal
- Arthritis and other degenerative disc diseases – swelling and tenderness of the joints
- Fractures – a bone break
- Bone spurs – bony projections along bone edges
- Inflammation from sprains and strains
- Tumors
- Piriformis syndrome– a neuromuscular disorder caused when the flat, band-like piriformis muscle compresses the sciatic nerve
- Obesity – the extra weight is pushed in the spaces in the low back area causing pressure on the nerves
- Sports injuries
On top of all these, daily habits like sitting or walking with poor posture can also lead to pinched nerves.
At-Home Treatment for Pinched Nerves
Pain from pinched nerves are mostly temporary and easily treated. Sleep and rest, for one, can do wonders as healing happens during sleep. Sometimes, simply not moving the affected area can relieve the pressure on the nerve and make the pain go away.
Posture problems stress the body and may damage the spine and muscles. Correcting your posture alleviates pressure and lets the pinched nerve heal.
There’s also the option to use over-the-counter medication. NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are helpful in reducing swelling. They’re also useful in relieving pain from minor pinched nerves. Unfortunately, pain relief from drugs is mostly temporary.
Luckily, if medicating is not an option, there is another way: technology.
Using Massage Guns for Pinched Nerves
One surefire way to help reduce the physical pain and stress of pinched nerves is through massage therapy. Misalignments due to tight muscles pressing in the spine can benefit greatly from a massage session.
Massage is an old healing art that goes back millennia to the Ancient Greeks and the Egyptians. It’s also been used by the Chinese and Indians as far back as 5000 years ago. It involves kneading muscle tissues to improve well-being and health.
Some of the benefits of massage therapy include:
- Reducing muscle tension
- Improving circulation
- Relaxation
- Increasing joint mobility and flexibility
- Improving recovery time of soft tissue injuries
Massage therapy has even been shown to improve mental health by lowering the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body.
There are many different massage types, including myotherapy for soft tissue pain, remedial massage for physical injuries, and therapeutic massages that promote relaxation.
But for someone in pain that’s scrimped on movement as well as time, scheduling a massage therapy session may be a lot of work. This is where a massage gun comes in.
What You Need to Know
- Massage guns utilize percussion therapy to deliver the same results as a regular massage. What is percussion therapy? It’s a fairly new technology that delivers accelerated bursts of pressure into body tissues. This helps release muscle knots that are a common cause of muscle pain.
- It desensitizes the surrounding muscle area to minimize the pain from too much pressure on sore muscles.
- It helps prevent DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) after exercise and helps improve recovery time.
But more important, it can help with pinched nerves.
A massage gun is easy enough to use without the assistance of another person. Because one does not have to rely on a therapist, it’s easy to hyper target the area that needs attention.
Will it totally eliminate the pain? No, it won’t. But it will relax the muscles and tendons to ease the pressure on the nerves causing the pain.
However, a word of caution: deep tissue massages are not a good idea when suffering from pinched nerves. The extra pressure from this massage type may even make the symptoms worse. So when using a massage gun, opt for a lower intensity and avoid touching the bones of the spine. It’s also recommended to combine the massage with exercise and gentle stretches.
Bottom Line
Will a massage gun help with a pinched nerve? Yes, it will. But take care to use the massage gun properly. Do not massage directly on bones, cartilage and tendons and do not use extreme pressure. Massage guns are meant to help alleviate the pain and may not totally eliminate them. At the end of the day, massage guns work best as a supplement to other treatments.
