Nerve Pain Treatment in Bicton
Nerve pain shows up in a lot of ways: burning, tingling, electric zaps, numbness, a dull ache that won't settle, sharp pain that travels down a limb. What all of those symptoms have in common is that they tell you where it hurts, not what's actually causing it. Two people can describe almost identical symptoms and have completely different nerves involved, compressed at completely different points. Treating the symptom without finding that point is why nerve pain is one of the most common things we see that hasn't responded to previous treatment.
Why Nerve Pain Gets Missed or Mistreated
The most common pattern we see is temporary relief that doesn't hold. An adjustment, a massage, or a stretching routine eases things for a few hours or days, then the pain comes back. That's usually not a sign the treatment was wrong, it's a sign it was addressing the consequence of the problem rather than the actual source. If a nerve is being compressed, stretched, or adhered to nearby tissue, relaxing the surrounding muscle will help temporarily, but the nerve is still caught. Finding exactly where it's caught, and on what, is what determines whether treatment actually holds.
Nerve Pain Conditions We Treat
Some of the most common nerve entrapments we assess and treat, each with their own distinct presentation and treatment approach:
Sciatica
Pain travelling down the back of the leg, often assumed to be disc-related. Frequently isn't. We assess whether the true source is the sciatic nerve at the spine, in the deep gluteal space, or further down at the hamstring.
Piriformis Syndrome
Deep glute pain that mimics sciatica, involving the sciatic nerve as it passes through the deep hip rotators.
Cluneal Nerve Pain
Small sensory nerves crossing the top of the pelvis, commonly mistaken for a disc or SI joint problem, and often the reason adjustments give short-lived relief for lower back and glute pain.
Spinal Accessory Nerve Irritation
A common but rarely diagnosed cause of chronic upper trap and mid-back tightness that massage and stretching only ever partially fix.
If you're not sure which of these matches what you're feeling, that's exactly what an assessment is for. Trying to self-diagnose from symptoms alone is difficult even for experienced clinicians, the differentiation usually comes down to specific exam findings, not just where it hurts.
Did you know? Nerves don't just get compressed, they can also lose their normal ability to glide smoothly against the tissue around them as you move. That loss of glide is often the real driver behind pain that keeps returning despite treatment.
How We Find the Actual Source
Every assessment starts with a detailed history and a physical exam of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, nerves, and fascia we suspect may be involved, before we decide on a treatment plan. Where we determine it's safe to do so, we move straight into treatment. If imaging or another provider's opinion would genuinely change the plan, we'll tell you and help arrange it.
How We Treat Nerve Pain
Once we know which structure is involved, treatment is built around it rather than a standard routine applied to everyone. Depending on what we find, this can include soft tissue therapy and adhesion release to restore normal nerve glide, chiropractic adjustments where joint mechanics are contributing, focused shockwave therapy for chronic, stubborn cases, and rehabilitative exercise to keep the improvement once it's been made.
Seek urgent medical attention instead of booking a routine assessment if nerve pain is accompanied by numbness in the saddle area, new loss of bladder or bowel control, or rapidly worsening weakness in one or both legs. These can be signs of a serious spinal emergency that needs immediate assessment, not conservative care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a scan before you can help?
Not necessarily. Most nerve pain can be assessed clinically first. We'll let you know if imaging would change the treatment plan.
How do you know which nerve is involved?
Through a detailed history and physical exam that looks at the specific pattern of symptoms, where they start, what makes them better or worse, and targeted tests for each nerve we suspect could be involved.
I've already tried chiropractic and it only helped temporarily. Is this different?
Often, yes. Temporary relief followed by the pain returning is a sign the correct nerve involvement hasn't been identified yet.
Is nerve pain always something serious?
Most of the time, no. Most nerve pain we see is a mechanical entrapment issue that responds well to conservative care. A small number of presentations need urgent referral instead, which is exactly why proper assessment matters.
Book a Nerve Pain Assessment in Bicton
If nerve pain has been dragging on, or hasn't responded to treatment you've already tried, book an assessment so we can find out exactly which nerve is involved and where.
Written by Dr Russell Jensen, Principal Chiropractor (AHPRA: CHI0001927257), Southside Spine and Sport. Practicing chiropractor since 2015. Trained in Integrative Diagnosis (USA). Particular interest in nerve entrapment conditions
