Treating Nerve Pain with ART

What is nerve pain?

Most people think that nerve pain relates to a shooting pain down the limbs, often accompanied by tingling and numbness. However, this is not always true. Nerve pain can be localized and without any tingling or numbness, and if it is treated as normal muscular pain it can actually increase pain and prolong recovery. One easy example of this is a “knot” in your upper back. This “knot” is often an inflamed nerve, often the dorsal scapular or spinal accessory nerve, and using a lacrosse ball or a stick to dig into the area will do more harm than good. An Active Release Technique (ART) doctor’s practiced hand is usually the fast cure for this.

Why do we get nerve pain?

Persistent pressure around a nerve will cause nerve pain. This pressure is usually caused by surrounding tissues from:

1. Weak and Tight Tissues

2. Friction, Pressure, and Tension

3. Decreased Circulation/Edema (Inflammation)

4. Adhesions

When these 4 issues are consistent, it will create hypoxia, edema, and fibrosis which will lead to nerve pain. The key is to take the pressure off of the nerve to alleviate symptoms and stop the cycle from spinning out of control leading to more pain and longer recovery.

How to Treat Nerve Pain?

The best way I have seen to directly remove pressure from a nerve, is to treat it manually with ART. An ART doctor will know how to treat the surrounding tissues of a nerve which will usually take care of about 50% of the nerve problem. The nerve certified ART doctor will usually take care of the last 50% of the problem (as long as there is no structural compromise). Treating a nerve directly involves understanding how a nerve can slide both transversely and longitudinally. Knowledge of specific protocols is key to promoting healthy nerve gliding which will decrease the cause of the pain. It is not uncommon for a nerve to be significantly “stuck” before treatment, and after just a few passes for it to be released and have movement and function restored. This is the power of good ART.

Dr. Ryan is a nerve certified ART (Active Release Technique) doctor in San Mateo. If you think you are experiencing nerve pain, please do not hesitate to reach out to Dr. Ryan through the contact us tab on our website. He is happy to help you or help you find someone in your area that can help.