Item: NJ Spine & Orthopedic
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Author: H. Reyes

Is It Possible to Relieve Nerve Pain at Home?

Living with nerve pain can be extremely painful. While some neuropathic pain may get better on its own or with treatment, it can sometimes take months or years. Conversely, other nerve pain may stay persistent or increase over time. Fortunately, there are ways you can relieve nerve pain at home. If your nerve pain continues even after trying these methods, contact the board-certified doctors at NJ Spine & Orthopedic. We can help you identify and treat neuropathic pain with a therapy plan specific to you. What Causes Nerve Pain? Neuropathic pain comes from nerve damage, which may result from medical conditions, medications, or injuries. Damaged nerves are more likely to misfire, sending pain signals to your nerve when there is no cause of pain. Damaged nerves are also more likely to cause a foot infection. If you are uncertain about where your nerve pain originates, take our online Pain Assessment Tool. You can then discover what treatment options are best for you through our Treatment Finder. Ways to Relieve Nerve Pain at Home In addition to relieving nerve pain, many at-home treatments may help prevent more severe problems and protect your health. Some strategies may even release the body’s natural painkiller, endomorphins. Here are a few ways to relieve nerve pain at home: Monitor your diabetes: If you have diabetes, ensure your blood sugar is at appropriate levels. This is one of the best ways to alleviate and possibly prevent nerve pain. Go for a walk: Exercise releases endorphins and promotes blood flow to the nerves in the legs and feet. Take daily walks and gradually increase your distance and pace. Regular exercise may create a long-lasting expansion in the feet’s blood vessels, nourishing damaged nerves back to health. Take a warm bath: A warm bath is one of the easiest ways to treat nerve pain at home. Warm water temporarily increases blood flow to the legs and eases stress. While this relief is only temporary, it can still decrease discomfort. Avoid alcohol: Heavy alcohol use is toxic to nerves and may worsen your pain. While the number of alcoholic drinks will vary, doctors recommend having no more than four alcoholic drinks a week. Practice good sleep habits: Nerve pain can worsen overnight, making it more challenging to deal with pain. However, you can break this cycle by practicing good sleep habits. Limit afternoon caffeine and keep a consistent bedtime that allows you to receive eight hours of sleep nightly. Numb the pain: The anesthetic lidocaine, which you can find in gels, ointments, and patches, is available in prescription and over-the-counter medication. While lidocaine can cause relief, it is only temporary. Make sure to read the instructions carefully before using. Contact the Experienced Back Doctors at New Jersey Spine & Orthopedic If you are suffering from nerve pain, contact the board-certified doctors at NJ Spine & Orthopedic. Our team of neurologists, neurosurgeons, and orthopedic specialists will work with you one-on-one to eliminate the pain that’s plagued you for so long.

Can Menopause Impact Sciatica Pain?

A recent study explored the relationship between menopause and lower back pain. The study’s authors noted that a lack of vitamin D because of menopause is associated with increased severity of lower back pain, such as degenerative disc disease. If you suffer from degenerative disc disease, which may lead to sciatica, contact the back doctors at NJ Spine & Orthopedic. They can create a treatment plan specific to your condition and help eliminate your pain. What is Degenerative Disc Disease? Fibrous discs sit between each vertebra, and they act as shock absorbers for the spine. Discs also function to stabilize the spine, allowing you to move more freely and maintain pain-free movement. Your spine’s health is an essential part of your well-being and provides the freedom to do everyday tasks pain-free. However, these discs begin to dry out and lose some of their flexibility and elasticity as we age, which is how degenerative disc disease forms. The discs become thinner and absorb less shock, leading to more painful and stiff movements. Doctors refer to this as degenerative disc disease, which may lead to sciatica. Degenerative Disc Disease May Lead to Sciatica When you have degenerative disc disease, the body will compensate for the loss of stability by producing more bone to stabilize the spine. These bone growths could crowd the spinal canal, causing spinal stenosis. When there is less space between the vertebrae, it can pressure the sciatic nerve, causing sciatica. Symptoms are generally pain and numbness down one or both legs. Treatments may include physical therapy or minimally invasive surgery. However, many patients find relief through strength and flexibility training, trigger point injections, and supplements. Vitamin D Affects Bone Health Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that has multiple functions in the body. Your body produces it after sunlight exposure, and one of the main functions of vitamin D is to support bone health. The body also needs vitamin D to absorb calcium and phosphorus, which are vital for bone production. When the body is deficient in calcium, it will break down your bones to pull calcium back into the bloodstream. Without adequate vitamin D, the body is unable to absorb enough calcium to prevent this breakdown. A vitamin D deficiency can lead to low bone density and diseases, such as osteoporosis. This condition gradually weakens the bones, causing them to break more easily. It can cause painful vertebral compression fractures. A primary cause of osteoporosis, in addition to a vitamin D deficiency, is lower estrogen production after menopause. How Estrogen Affects Bone and Spine Health Estrogen plays a significant role in both male and female bone health. It also promotes the activity of osteoblasts, which are the cells that produce bone. Additionally, estrogen helps slow down the breakdown of bones and encourages bone growth. The spine maintains tissues that contain collagen, which is part of intervertebral discs. However, estrogen levels drop during menopause, compromising bones’ health. The combination of low estrogen and vitamin D can cause and impact

What to Expect from a Trigger Point Injection

A trigger point injection is a medical procedure that can help soothe muscle pain and is often recommended for fibromyalgia, tension headaches, and myofascial pain. If your doctor has recommended trigger point injections to help alleviate your pain, you may be wondering what to expect from this procedure. NJ Spine and Ortho is here to help you understand this process. What Are Trigger Points? Trigger points are highly sensitive, tight knots or bands of muscle or connective tissue that cause pain. They are most commonly found in the back, neck, and buttocks but can affect almost any body part. Those who suffer from trigger point pain can experience muscle spasms, weakness, and pain in other body parts, including eye pain and headaches or migraines. Manual labor is a common cause of trigger points, but other contributors of painful trigger points include: Injury or trauma to a muscle Chronic muscle clenching Inactivity Repetitive motions Poor body mechanics, such as poor posture Sustained muscle overloading Psychological stress Insomnia Poor nutritional health Menopause or other hormonal issues Smoking Obesity Depression or other emotional disorders There are two types of trigger points: active and latent. When a trigger point is active, it can cause pain even at rest. Latent trigger points, on the other hand, generally only cause pain with pressure. What is a Trigger Point Injection? During a trigger point injection procedure, a doctor inserts a small needle into a trigger point and injects a long-acting anesthetic or anti-inflammatory medicine. Injections to trigger points can relieve pain immediately and increase mobility for people with chronic muscle pain, but some people find that results take several days or weeks to appear. Although uncommon, some patients report that their pain does not improve after injections. Trigger point injections are a minor medical procedure that can be repeated as needed to maintain pain relief. In a 2019 study investigating the effects of trigger point injections in people with abdominal muscle pain, some participants reported substantial pain reduction up to two years after their first injection. What Should You Expect from Trigger Point Injections? After lying down on a procedure table, your doctor will locate and clean your trigger point and then pinch it to keep it from sliding away. Then, they will insert the needle into your skin and inject the trigger point with the medicine. You may experience some twitching and discomfort when the needle is inserted into the trigger point. Those with extremely tense muscles may even feel a crunching or mild burning sensation. After the injection, your doctor will then stretch and massage the muscle and surrounding area. Side effects of trigger point injections can include: Pain or tenderness around the injection site Numbness around the injection site Swelling around the injection site Discoloration or dimpling near the injection site Lightheadedness Dizziness Bleeding If pain, numbness, and swelling around the injection site should wear off within a couple of hours. If your side effects worsen or do not disappear within a couple of weeks,

3 Summer Activities That Can Cause Back Pain

With sunny weather and vacation plans approaching, we’re ready to spend these few months participating in exciting outdoor activities. Whether you’re exercising or performing chores, the longer days mean more time with friends and family. However, with an increase in physical activity, your back is at risk of injury. In the summer, there are a few everyday actions that hurt and weaken our back. To protect our spine and muscles from damage, knowing which activities are more likely to cause pain can prepare us for the road ahead. Sidestep Back Pain by Avoiding These 3 Summer Activities Here are three common activities that cause back pain in the summer: Long Hours Working On the Yard With the sun high in the sky, you might want to get some gardening or yard work done. Whether it’s a gorgeous front yard for your neighbors to see or a backyard blooming with color, taking the time to care for your greenery will have you hunched over. Repetitive motions like lifting and digging can cause your back to bend in all directions, leaving little room for your spine to decompress. Overexerting Yourself with Exercise The summer season might motivate you to start exercising more, but with the temperature changing, you might be exhausting yourself. If you’re just starting back up and you’re no longer used to gym weights, you could also strain a muscle or have improper form. To protect yourself from these obstacles, take a step back and slow yourself down. Taking a few extra moments to correct your posture or stretch will significantly help your spine and other muscles. Long-Awaited Summer Traveling Finally, the kids are out, and you’re able to go on that vacation you’ve been planning for months. The only problem is how long it takes to get there. Whether it’s a twelve-hour car ride or a three-hour flight, you’ll be in a few uncomfortable positions no matter what. Taking the time to get up and stretch your legs and back will help with those sore muscles. Tips to Prevent Summer Back Aches There are plenty of ways to overcome these hurdles and continue your summer fun. Try some of the suggestions listed below: Give yourself breaks: Accomplishing all your yard work or exercise in a day is stressful and demanding on your muscles. After some hard work, take time to recuperate. Stay hydrated: When you’re dehydrated, your spine won’t decompress and will cause your bones to grind together. Replenish yourself with a water bottle at your side. Stretch those muscles: Whether you’re on the road or in your garden, giving yourself time to stretch your back muscles can prevent severe injuries from developing. By incorporating these activities into your routine, you may avoid a painful misstep. If you do find yourself laboring after an injury, contact the experienced professionals at NJ Spine & Orthopedic for recovery tips today. Discover NJ Spine & Orthopedic for Your Spine Health While regular aches and pains are normal and can be relieved through

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Is It Possible to Relieve Nerve Pain at Home?

Can Menopause Impact Sciatica Pain?

What to Expect from a Trigger Point Injection

3 Summer Activities That Can Cause Back Pain

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