“If I woke up in the morning and nothing hurt, I would worry I was dead.” — Unknown
We can often make jokes about pain and the seemingly inevitable onset of pain from aging. But for those who suffer from chronic nerve pain, it’s really no laughing matter.
According to a Reader’s Digest website, The Healthy,
“Chronic pain is often called “the silent epidemic”—with good reason. Nearly 20 percent of adults in the United States report living with chronic pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It’s also one of the major reasons people seek out medical care, yet it’s very rarely discussed in public.”
The most common causes of neuropathic pain can be divided into four main categories, according to Healthline. These are disease, injury, infection, and loss of limb.
However, one of the most common causes of what is called peripheral neuropathy is compressed, trapped, or “pinched” nerves.
When Soft Tissue Dysfunction Leads to Chronic Nerve Pain
While many diseases and infections that lead to some form of neuropathic pain can be treated, the pain that results from compressed nerves often goes unresolved.
As the National Institutes for Health (NIH) has noted, prolonged pressure on a nerve or repetitive, forceful activities can cause ligaments or tendons to swell, which narrows slender nerve pathways. Ulnar neuropathy and carpal tunnel syndrome are common types of neuropathy from trapped or compressed nerves at the elbow or wrist.
In addition, painful neuropathies can be caused by nerve compression or neuromas, according to one source. Nerve compressions can arise from scar adhesions causing painful post-traumatic entrapment of nerve branches as a result of fibrosis or thickening and scarring of connective tissue.
However, it seems that the most common factors leading to these types of conditions – and the chronic pain that results – are related to work and other repetitive activities.
Peripheral Neuropathy Caused by Compressed Nerve-Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
When Work (Or Working Out) Is a Real Pain
According to a medical study abstract reported in the NIH National Library of Medicine,
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are often termed work-related cumulative trauma disorders, overuse injuries, repetitive strain injuries, and include work-related carpal tunnel syndrome. The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that WMSDs in the United States account for over 600,000 injuries and illnesses and 34 percent of all lost workdays are reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The article goes on to note that these disorders are estimated at $20 billion a year in direct costs and up to five times more in indirect costs for MSD-related workers’ compensation.
Worse yet, there is a substantial toll on affected workers who develop significant difficulties in performing simple upper extremity tasks.
The challenge for those suffering from chronic nerve pain is finding some way to make it stop.
Although surgery is sometimes recommended, in many cases the patient is advised to resort to simply making use of OTC anti-inflammatories and pain relief medications. And when surgery is performed, the results are not guaranteed nor is the pain always fully relieved.
Soft tissue therapy, on the other hand, can be successfully implemented in most chronic pain issues arising from compressed or entrapped nerves.
The Efficacy of Active Release Techniques® in Treating Peripheral Neuropathic Pain
At Pain and Performance Solutions we have long seen amazing results when working with patients who have suffered from nerve pain caused by scar tissue and other soft tissue adhesions.
And one of the primary methods we have employed for this treatment has been a therapy known as Active Release Techniques®.
One medical website describes Active Release Techniques® (ART®) as a soft tissue method that focuses on relieving tissue tension via the removal of fibrosis and adhesions which can develop in tissues as a result of overload due to repetitive use. These disorders may lead to muscular weakness, numbness, aching, tingling, and burning sensations, in addition to chronic pain.
According to an entry in Physiopedia,
“ART is used to treat symptoms with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Its design is 3 fold:
- to restore free and unimpeded motion of all soft tissues
- to release entrapped nerves, vasculature and lymphatics
- to re-establish optimal texture, resilience and function of soft tissues.”
Our years of experience and much independent evidence support our recommendation of using Active Release Techniques® as an effective approach to various types of soft tissue pain and dysfunctions.
Chronic Nerve Pain Solutions with Active Release Techniques®
Peripheral neuropathic pain arising from soft tissue damage such as scarring can lead to other problems if left untreated. However, it can also seem as if recovery and relief may never be possible. If you’ve been suffering for months or more from chronic nerve pain, the good news is that relief is possible.
If you want to learn how, we invite you to call Pain and Performance Solutions to make an appointment.
At your first appointment, we will walk you through the process of learning not only about your present pain issues, but any history of discomfort, as well. Achieving nerve pain relief with the use of Active Release Techniques® can only begin after we understand where and how your discomfort started.
We will take you through a full examination which helps us determine which form of treatment is best suited to get you on your road to recovery. And, while your trust in us is vital, so is your honesty and openness.
In the long run, getting your body healthy and working properly is the only way to achieve total recovery.
Our goal is to work through the sequence of pain and dysfunction to get your body healthy and working properly and achieve total recovery. Don’t hesitate to reach out, and we are here to help and will answer any questions that you may have.
You can reach us at (707) 636-4404 or by filling out our online contact form.
