If you are currently struggling with pain, discomfort, and mobility issues caused by a pinched nerve, it is understandable that you might find yourself feeling frustrated. You may even be unsure about whether there is any solution to your problem. There is good news about your pinched nerve, though. These pinched nerves are treatable. There are many different ways to treat pinched nerves depending on the severity of the issue, the location of the nerve along your spine, and how you want to be treated. Get to know some of the many options available to you to help you treat your pinched nerve. Then, you can get your treatment started as soon as possible. 

Medications for Pain and Inflammation

One of the first lines of treatment that your medical care team will likely recommend is to take medications for your pain and inflammation. When a nerve gets pinched, it also becomes inflamed, which causes swelling and pain in the area as well as along the length of the nerve. 

Medications that can help reduce pain and inflammation may help to relieve your symptoms until the pinch is resolved. Most doctors will start by recommending non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDs), which can include ibuprofen and naproxen among others.

If you have already tried those, they may instead recommend either oral or injected corticosteroids. Steroids are powerful anti-inflammatory medications that require a prescription (or if injected must be administered by medical professionals. Steroids do not treat pain, though, and because of that, your doctor may also prescribe low doses of narcotic pain medications when you are also on steroids. 

Physiotherapy

Medications can only do so much to help with your pinched nerve. If your nerve issue has not resolved itself after several weeks of medication, you will likely want to look into additional options to help you manage the condition. 

Physiotherapy is one such option. A physiotherapist is able to help you to improve your pinched nerve through spinal decompression, various manual manipulations, and teaching you stretches and exercises that can help free up your nerve from where it is pinched. Some of the exercises and treatments focus on the nerve itself while others are designed to help improve strength and flexibility in the muscles and tissues in the back that support the nerves. 

Combining physiotherapy with medication treatments can be quite effective at relieving the symptoms of your pinched nerve as well as helping to prevent the condition from recurring in the future. 

With these treatment options in mind, you can start taking steps to manage your pinched nerve as soon as possible. Contact a physiotherapy clinic like Reactive Physiotherapy for more information.