Conditions
Tingling, numbness, burning, and sharp radiating pain are all signs that a nerve may be irritated, squeezed, or damaged somewhere along its path. The place you feel it is not always the place it starts. This page covers the nerve conditions we are asked about most, based on neutral medical sources, and explains how we approach them. It is general information, not a diagnosis.
Call 911 or go to an emergency department for sudden weakness or numbness, pain after a severe injury, or loss of bowel or bladder control. Mayo Clinic lists these as emergency signs for sciatica (Mayo Clinic, December 2025). For thoracic outlet syndrome, Mayo adds sudden arm swelling with a skin color change, sudden severe hand pain, purple or black fingertips, or a weak pulse with cold, pale skin (Mayo Clinic, May 2026).
Mayo Clinic describes peripheral neuropathy as damage to the peripheral nerves, the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. It usually causes weakness, numbness, and pain, most often in the hands and feet. Symptoms can include gradual numbness, prickling or tingling that spreads, sharp or burning pain, extreme sensitivity to touch, poor coordination, and falls. Diabetes is the most common cause. Other causes include autoimmune disease, infections, inherited conditions, kidney, liver, or thyroid disease, alcohol use, some medicines, nerve injury or pressure, and low levels of certain vitamins. Sometimes no cause is found. Mayo advises seeking care right away for tingling, weakness, or pain in the hands or feet, since early treatment gives the best chance of preventing further nerve damage (Mayo Clinic, May 2026).
Because the cause matters so much, a medical evaluation is the first step. That includes checking for diabetes, vitamin levels, and other conditions. We see our care as complementary to that.
Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when the median nerve is compressed in a narrow passage on the palm side of the wrist. Mayo Clinic describes gradual tingling and numbness in the thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers, symptoms that come and go and can wake you at night, and weakness or dropping objects. Risk factors include a smaller carpal tunnel, wrist injury, being female, diabetes, inflammatory conditions, obesity, and fluid retention. Mayo says to see a doctor when symptoms interfere with daily activities or sleep, since lasting nerve and muscle damage can occur without treatment (Mayo Clinic, June 2026).
Hand symptoms can also come from the neck or shoulder. As part of an evaluation we look at the neck, shoulder, and posture as well as the wrist.
Trigeminal neuralgia is a chronic condition that causes intense, electric-shock-like pain on one side of the face. Mayo Clinic describes sudden, shooting pain in the cheek, jaw, teeth, gums, or lips, lasting seconds to a few minutes, and often set off by light touch, chewing, talking, or brushing teeth. The most common cause is a blood vessel pressing on the nerve at the base of the brain. It can also be linked to multiple sclerosis, a tumor, or nerve injury. It is more common in women and people over 50. Mayo advises seeing a doctor for intense facial jolts, or for ongoing facial pain that does not respond to nonprescription pain medicine (Mayo Clinic, July 2026).
Severe facial pain needs a medical diagnosis first. Please see your doctor or a neurologist before booking with us.
Radiculopathy is irritation or compression of a nerve root, where a nerve branches from the spinal cord. When it affects the neck, the Cervical Spine Research Society describes pain that often starts in the neck and spreads toward the hand, numbness or pins and needles, and weakness in muscles served by that nerve, usually in one arm. Disc problems are the most common cause, followed by bone spurs that narrow the nerve opening. Many people recover without surgery, but the society advises seeing a spine specialist early if weakness is present (Cervical Spine Research Society). Pain traveling down the leg from the lower back is covered in our Chronic Pain page under sciatica.
Mayo Clinic describes thoracic outlet syndrome as pressure on nerves or blood vessels in the space between the collarbone and first rib. About 95% of cases are neurogenic, meaning nerves are pinched. Symptoms include numbness or tingling in the arm or fingers, aching in the neck, shoulder, or hand, and weakness, often worse with the arms overhead. Causes include an extra rib, tight fibrous bands, poor posture, carrying heavy loads on the shoulder, repetitive arm movements, and trauma (Mayo Clinic, May 2026). Posture and shoulder mechanics are part of what we can look at.
Dr. Wright is a Doctor of Chiropractic with advanced training in functional neurology. Nerve symptoms need a medical diagnosis first. After that, we look at where along the nerve pathway something may be going wrong, including the neck, the posture, and how the nervous system is processing the signals, and at balance and position sense when neuropathy affects them. Care may include chiropractic care, myofascial work, and exercises designed to challenge the sensory and balance systems. See our Neurological Exam & Evaluation page and our Myofascial Release page.
Our care is meant to be complementary to your medical care.
Neuropathy is damage to the peripheral nerves, often in the hands and feet. A pinched nerve, or radiculopathy, is irritation at the nerve root near the spine. They can feel similar.
Diabetes is the most common cause, according to Mayo Clinic. Other causes include infections, autoimmune disease, some medicines, alcohol use, and low vitamin levels. Sometimes no cause is found.
If you have tingling, numbness, or weakness, see your doctor, since the cause matters and early treatment helps protect the nerves.
It depends on where the problem is and what is causing it. We start with an evaluation and tell you honestly whether care here is a fit.
Yes. Mayo lists poor coordination and falls among the symptoms. If balance is a concern, see our Vertigo & Balance page.
Next steps
Nerve symptoms deserve a careful look.