Pinched Nerve

Yancey Pain & Spine

William L Yancey, MD

Interventional Pain Specialist & Anesthesiologist located in The Woodlands, TX & Houston Medical Center, Houston, TX

The pins and needles sensation you sometimes feel when your hands or feet “fall asleep” is the result of a pinched nerve. In most cases, this feeling is temporary and goes away once your nerve is no longer compressed. However, depending on the underlying cause, you may not always be able to shake out your symptoms. At Yancey Pain & Spine in Houston and The Woodlands, Texas, interventional pain specialist William Yancey, MD, specializes in diagnosing and treating pinched nerves and develops plans aimed at reducing or eliminating your pain. Call the office nearest you, or book an appointment online today for help managing your pinched nerve.

Pinched Nerve Q & A

What is a pinched nerve?

A pinched nerve is a medical term used to describe nerve damage or injury caused by compression, constriction, or stretching. The damage or injury alters nerve function and may cause pain, tingling, or numbness.

Many areas of your body are vulnerable to developing a pinched nerve, including your neck and back. It may cause pain that radiates all the way to your eye socket.

A herniated disc in your lumbar spine may compress the sciatic nerve as it exits the spine, resulting in sciatica, a common pain condition that causes symptoms that radiate down your back and into your leg.

Neuropathy, which refers to damage or injury to the nerves outside your brain and spinal cord, may also develop from a pinched nerve.

What are the symptoms of a pinched nerve?

Symptoms of a pinched nerve vary in type and severity. Common symptoms include:

Tingling or pins and needles sensation
Numbness or lack of sensation
Sharp, burning, aching pain that radiates
Muscle weakness

You may notice that your symptoms get worse when you sleep. Though your pinched nerve may resolve on its own with at-home care, if your symptoms don’t improve after several days, contact Yancey Pain & Spine to schedule an evaluation.

What can I expect during an evaluation for my pinched nerve?

You can expect a comprehensive evaluation when you come to Yancey Pain & Spine looking for relief from your pinched nerve. Because of his background in biomedical engineering and his meticulous approach to problem-solving, Dr. Yancey focuses on finding the root cause of your symptoms so he can devise a plan that reduces or eliminates your pain altogether.

During your exam, he asks detailed questions about your symptoms and medical history and conducts a physical exam. To better understand the source and cause of your symptoms, he may request diagnostic imaging, such as X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans.

How is a pinched nerve treated?

Dr. Yancey takes an integrative approach to treating pinched nerves to treat all aspects of your condition, not just your pain. The specifics of your treatment plan may depend on the affected nerve and the severity of your symptoms and may include medication, physical therapy, and injections.

For comprehensive care of your pinched nerve, contact Yancey Pain & Spine by phone or request an appointment online today.

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