Pinched Nerves
The skull and the spine are designed to protect the central nervous system (CNS)
The CNS is made up of the brain and spinal cord. When the spine is misaligned it can pinch and irritate the spinal nerves as they exit the spine and the spinal cord. The pressure on the nervous system can be caused by the surrounding tissue including bones, muscles, cartilage and tendons.
When the nerves become pinched or irritated it may cause either localised or referred pain, numbness pins and needles, numbness and tingling in the head (headaches and migraines) in the arms (thoracic outlet syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome) and the legs (sciatica).
Chiropractors are trained to detect and correct pinched nerves using a range of techniques including gentle manipulation, traction massage and stretching.