Nerve Root Injury And Plexus Disorder

Nerve root injuries happen when something presses on or pinches the nerve roots where they enter or exit your spinal cord. Problems with the discs between your vertebrae can cause nerve root injuries. If the inside of the disc bulges or protrudes (herniates), it can press on the nerves. This can happen because of an acute injury or degenerative disc disease.

Another cause of nerve root injuries is bony growths on your spine that develop when the bones are weakened by age or trauma. The bony growths narrow the opening that the nerves go through, so the nerve roots are pinched.

Nerve root disorders usually affect the neck (cervical spine) and lower back (lumbar spine). Symptoms include shooting pain that spreads into other areas, numbness, tingling, and weakness. Sciatica (lumbar radiculopathy) is a common nerve root injury. It’s caused by the sciatic nerve in your lower back being pinched or compressed.

A plexus is a system of crisscrossing nerve fibers. They form a hub that controls sensations like pain in specific areas and gives your muscles instructions to move. A plexus disorder is nerve damage that affects the part of your body the nerve fibers control.

The most common form of this condition is brachial plexus disorder. The brachial plexus serves your chest, arms, hands, and shoulders. Lumbosacral plexus disorder affects your:

• Back
• Abdomen
• Groin
• Thighs
• Knees
• Calves
• Pelvis
• Buttocks
• Genitals
• Thighs
• Feet

Plexus disorders are usually caused by acute trauma like a sports injury or auto accident or by cancer. Symptoms of a plexus disorder include pain, loss of feeling, weakness, and restricted movement.

Sunset Neurological & Psychiatry Group starts with conservative treatments for a nerve root injury and plexus disorder. These include physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medication. Epidural steroid injections can improve your symptoms if other treatments aren’t working.

Change the activities you usually do to avoid irritating the damaged nerve or plexus. However, it’s also vital to get the muscles functioning again, or they could deteriorate further.

In a few cases, especially if the problem is bone spurs, surgery might be necessary to relieve pressure on the pinched nerves. Alternatives to surgery include spinal cord or peripheral nerve stimulators. These implanted devices scramble pain signals with electrical impulses.

If you have nerve root injury or plexus disorder symptoms, call Sunset Neurological & Psychiatry Group today.