A pinched nerve occurs when a bone, disc, muscle or tendon impinges or “pinches” on a nerve. This nerve pressure affects the nerve by disrupting its function, causing pain, weakness and/or numbness and tingling. A pinched nerve can occur in your spine or in other parts of your body. The spine is composed of 24 moveable vertebrae. These vertebrae protect your spinal cord while allowing for motion (flexion, extension, rotation and lateral bending). At each vertebral level a pair of nerve roots branch off to each side of your body through the neural foramina (holes) to innervate the organs and tissues of your body. When these holes are obstructed the brain cannot properly supply your body. When a vertebrae is misaligned it can “pinch” or put pressure on the nerve. Another name for a misaligned vertebrae causing never pressure or interference is subluxation. A chiropractor’s main job is to find and correct spinal subluxations. Subluxations don’t just appear in the spine and can happen in other areas of the body. A chiropractic adjustment is a precise nudge applied directly to the misaligned bone in order to correct its orientation with the other segments that are adjacent to it. When the joints natural integrity have been restored the inflammation and nerve irritation is reduced.