Is Massage Good for Treating a Pinched Nerve?

When a nerve becomes pinched, you can experience a number of uncomfortable symptoms such as numbness (called anaesthesia), pain, tingling (which is known as paraesthesia or ā€˜pins and needlesā€™), weakness and other issues along the nerveā€™s specific path throughout your body.

If the pinched nerve is more severely compromised, you might even see weakness or wasting of the muscles where pain is present, suggesting permanent injury.

Is Massage Therapy an Option for Nerve Pain?

The first choice most pinched nerve sufferers will consider is massage therapy.

This is due to the fact that massage benefits are innumerable for those with physical aches and pains, especially in moving joints.

Do you think massage benefits exist for a compressed, damaged or pinched nerve? Letā€™s find out by learning everything there is to know about the pinched nerve.

Types of Pinched Nerves

As you probably already know, the nerves in your body are located in such a way that they can carry electrochemical signals to and from the brain to all parts of the body.

To understand the importance of these nerves within your body, think of them as tiny electrical cords that help power movement, function and feeling to all your parts.

Motor and Sensory Nerves in the Body

There are two basic types of nerves, afferent, which are motor nerves, and efferent, which are sensory nerves.

Motor nerves are responsible for sending information to the brain regarding organs and muscles, while sensory nerves send information about pain as well as touch, temperature, taste and other common sensations.

How a Pinched Nerve Occurs

A pinched nerve occurs when one of these nerves are somehow injured or damaged by compression or direct pressure.

This prevents the nerve from being able to send and receive important sensory and motor signals. While there are several locations in the body for a nerve to become compressed or damaged, some are more commonly associated with this type of injury.

Common Pinched Nerve Locations

A compressed or pinched nerve can occur just about anywhere in the body and at any time but the most common locations include the ones listed below with their common causes:

  • Neck, often caused by arthritis, bone spurs, herniated discs or spinal stenosis
  • Wrist, most likely cause is compression of median nerve, leading to carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Elbow, compression of the ulnar nerve, leading to cubital tunnel syndrome
  • Shoulder, pinched nerve in upper spine, also called cervical radiculopathy
  • Buttocks, compression of the sciatic nerve which can cause sciatica
  • Lower back, often caused by arthritis, bone spurs, herniated discs, spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal where nerve is located), sciatica

It is important to note that a pinched nerve does not lead to local pain. Instead, this type of injury causes pain that radiates to other areas in the body.

For example, damage to the sciatic nerve located in the buttocks region of the body can cause pain and discomfort to radiate down the right leg, all the way to your third and fourth toes.

Best Treatments for a Pinched Nerve

The first steps to treating a pinched nerve include rest and switching between hot and cold compresses to the location of the pain, alternating every ten minutes.

Next, those suffering with pinched nerve pain might try over the counter medication, massage, and in some cases, physical therapy.

Regardless of the above treatments you choose for the pinched nerve, activity modification is also used to help prevent further injury or discomfort.

Reduce Pain with Massage Therapy

While it isnā€™t likely to heal your pinched nerve, massage therapy can help by relieving some of the pain and discomfort associated with this condition.

Massage benefits can be seen when a deep and even pressure is applied to the pinched nerve or the area associated with nerve pain. This is due to the fact that massage is known to build focus and reduce stress or anxiety caused by symptoms of pain.

Your massage therapy should run no longer than thirty minutes to one hour, which is normally enough to bring relaxation to the affected area.

After your massage, remember to do some post-stretching and avoid heavy lifting. Vigorous activities are also discouraged but pinched nerve sufferers should try to drink plenty of water.

17 thoughts on “Is Massage Good for Treating a Pinched Nerve?”

  1. elizabeth blackman

    This mentions message therapy may not help pinched nerve.
    However, others recommend it. I am a bit confused!
    I am in great pain for the last 9 weeks. Last week I had no pain for 2 days but now back again and only get relief when taking paracetemol.
    Would appreciate your advice.
    Many thanks.

  2. I just got a pinched nerve in the tip of my left hand ring-finger, exactly where I press the rather cutting high string on my cello. Mild, even pressure (such as gently pressing the fingertip on a table & slowly increasing pressure a bit) seems to feel fine. But Iā€™m sure it was the rapid, harsher nature of pressing on the A-string during a fast piece that caused my first sharp pain. If it helps anyone: I plan to try an inside-out finger sleeve used for page-turning to pad the area slightly (even though I already built up a subtle ā€œcallousā€/toughened fingertip from months of practicing an hour per dayā€” didnā€™t stop my nerve from reacting), and see if that helps the pain stop flaring up for good. I found that a regular bandaid wrapped around the finger didnā€™t work too well for controlled sliding up & down the strings. Worst-case scenarioā€” Iā€™ll have to stick to the musicianā€™s motto: ā€œjust play through the painā€. : /. Good luck to those like me, doing internet self-diagnosing, haha.

      1. Hi, I am scheduled for Surgery to fix my pinched nerve. I’m in pain all day!
        I hope you can find relief.
        Sometime ‘s they say a Chiropractor that doesn’t crack your spine but uses other methods may help you.
        Good luck.

  3. I have a pinched nerve I think my left side is aching with sharp pain all the way to my feet and they are numb. What should I do

  4. I have a pinched nerve in my neck affecting my triceps on my right hand and tingling in my thumb and index fingers for a while now what should I do

    1. Hi,
      I am having this problem now. Are you better now? What did you do? Iā€™m getting massage and exercise at PT and take meds. Waiting for MRI auth. Itā€™s been two weeks now .

  5. My left hip was paining for last 3 years after doing leg extension and a bit of (10 minutes ) dance next morning I couldnā€™t walk it is month over and the numbness started from left feet and it is still there in whole leg now, what do do

  6. I have a slipped disc, the pain in my right buttock is unbearable sometimes, it shoots down my leg and hits my foot. I canā€™t lay on my back or my front (only side ) and I canā€™t sit in an arm chair for too long. I find myself wondering about in the early hours praying to god to make it stop. Iv had acupuncture and iv seen a physio plus Iā€™m on all sorts of pain killers. Yet here I am , gone 1:00am and clinging onto the back of an armchair because I canā€™t do anything. I did just try and massage my right buttock (because thatā€™s where the pain is ) I noticed itā€™s really painful when I do that. My question is this – is it ok /safe to carry on to massage it (will it help ) or should I stop ? And is there anything else you or anyone could recommend that may help me please? – please note * I canā€™t it lay on the floor to do any stretches or things that may help with sciatica.

  7. Problems from feet thru legs and hamstrings. It feels extremely tight thru to mid lower back. So hard to bend and walk or squat or day to day activities, nerves are working 1000%. Canā€™t find relief whatever angle I bent or stretch. Idk what to do, have had many feelings of just ending the pain permanently but others lose the will to keep going Need help asp
    Docs r no help try giving me hard narcotics and other stuff not good for me

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