I can still remember how and when I got the pinched nerve, but since I knew nothing about the problem, it took a while for the doctor to send me to the therapist. He just prescribed pain pills which did nothing. I pulled a bushel of tomatoes through the garden, bent over, and it was very heavy. I was also sewing a project and I spent long periods bent over the machine. When I leaned back in the sink at the beauty salon to wash my hair, it pinched and I let it go, going out of town to a convention. I went to the University hospital there and after X-ray was told to go home in a hurry because I had big problems. I laid on the floor at the airport waiting on my flight. The local doctor said I didn't need surgery. Period. Then the battle began. Three months later he finally sent me to a therapist who was trained in Europe and America. It took months of therapy, which cost me plenty, to get the pain to stop, and I continued the exercises for a couple of years after that because I was so afraid in the garden. I threw my bushel baskets away. They showed me with a model how the nerve got pinched by the wrong positions, and how it opens with the therapeutic positions. This is much different than neuropathy from my lower spine conditions. However, in both cases pain medication did not help, but injections helped with the lower spine before surgery.
It is a good thing there was no gun in the house...…...My Chiropractor has been my best therapist. That's all I really know about such matters. Even a stiff drink, which I do not like, does not slow down the pain when it comes. I am pain free now but can't walk far at a time. My muscles are wasted from resting instead of doing more therapy. I do not use a walker. My balance is slowly improving enough that I can garden while leaning on my hoe or shovel. My feet are always cold, so I wear socks to bed. I don't have any answers for others, but believe sharing my experiences might present a clue to less pain. Keep moving and don't quit. Dorisena