CAn massage help a pinched nerve?

We get this question quite a bit. Can massage help with a pinched nerve? It depends on the source of the impingement. If it is a vertebral disc (a disc that is located in-between each vertebrae or your spine) that is impinging a nerve causing nerve pain, we can help treat the symptoms due to the impingement, such as perform Lymphatic Drainage Massage to help with the associated swelling and Injury Massage techniques to treat the associated splinting in agonist and antagonistic muscles in response to the pain, however we do not directly change vertebral disk positioning and therefore cannot affect the underlying cause of the pain. If the pinched nerve is due to a restricted/tight muscle, such as what can happen with sciatic nerve impingement, we can treat the piriformis (a muscle that is known to pinch the sciatic nerve when tight) and associated musculature to release the pressure on the nerve, allowing it to heal. As with any pain or dysfunction, you want to go to your doctor first to get a diagnosis and eliminate other possible causes before seeking out treatment from a Massage Therapist.