What Home Remedies for a Pinched Nerve Work?

A pinched nerve can occur in any part of the body and is caused by too much pressure being applied to the nerve by tissue. The pressure can disrupt the nerve function and cause pain, numbness and tingling. Most of the time, you will recover in a few days or weeks. However, you may need to seek medical assistance. There are also some home remedies you can try to help ease the pain.

Hot or Cold Pack

• To help relieve the pain from a pinched nerve, try applying a hot or cold pack. Use a hot water bottle and hold it in place of the affected area.

  You can also try sitting in a hot bath or a jetted tub. This will help alleviate the pain.

  You can also apply an ice pack to the area. The cold pressure will help numb the pain. If you don't have an ice pack, a bag of frozen peas will do the trick.

Massage

• Massaging the area will also help the pinched nerve. Have someone help you if you cannot reach the area yourself. Use lotion and massage gently, then build up the pressure and massage until you feel the muscle loosen.

  Be sure that you do not massage the muscle area in a vigorous motion. This will only add trauma to the area and will not ease the pain.

Honey and Cinnamon

• Honey and cinnamon have ingredients that will alleviate the pain from a pinched nerve. Take one cup of honey and add cinnamon until the honey becomes a paste. Apply the paste to the area of pain for about 10 minutes. While this is a good way to help relieve the pain, it might leave the area of the skin slightly red.

  For the best results, try this along with sitting up straight and sleeping without a pillow.

Calcium

• One cause for a pinched nerve can be lack of calcium in your diet. To avoid the pinched nerve altogether, add calcium-rich foods to your diet. These include foods such as yogurt, cheese, nuts and fish.

  You can also add calcium supplements to your diet. Soy milk is rich in calcium and comes in flavors such as chocolate and vanilla.