Peripheral Nerve Entrapment

The nerves that supply our muscles and sensation in the skin originate within the spinal cord and as they exit the spine and travel along their path, they make their way between muscles and pass through tunnels made from bones and ligaments. Along the way it there are many areas where nerves can gets hung up in the muscles and caught on the ligaments: this can occur from repetitive movements or be an outcome from an old traumatic injury as both scenarios lead to development of adhesions and scarring of the fascia which causes the nerve to also become adhered, also referred to as entrapped.  

Entrapment of nerves can lead to an array of symptoms ranging from numbness and tingling into the hands or feet, to sharp shooting pain, and a loss of range-of-motion that is difficult to get back. This constellation of symptoms is often referred to as a pinched nerve; to clearly define the path to recovery a detailed examination of the spine and the affected limb will serve to identify the diagnosis or diagnoses that are occurring simultaneously which includes but isn’t limited to disc herniations, rib restrictions, and myofascial adhesions and entrapments of nerves. Active Release Techniques® assessment and treatment protocols support the identification of specific structures that tether nerves along their path and liberate the nerves from their fascial restriction.