A member asked:

Can inflammation in a pinched nerve mean your body is attacking it's self.

4 doctors weighed in across 4 answers
Dr. Silviu Pasniciuc answered

Specializes in Internal Medicine

Compression: The mechanism is different, usually through mechanical compression from inflammed structures, which in a sense might sound like the body is attacking itself. A typical example of a disease in which there is damage due to immunity directed to its own nerves is multiple sclerosis and that will be a good example for an immune mediated disease, or body attacking itself.

Answered 11/29/2014

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Dr. Creighton Wright answered

Specializes in surgery

Not exactly: certainly compression and irritation can occur but that is anatomical not an attack.

Answered 11/29/2014

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Dr. Jan Lei Iwata answered

Specializes in Ophthalmology

No auto immune is: when the body attacks itself. Inflammed pinch nerves is mainly pain, discomfort and not able to use the normal functions of the muscle or area of body where it's inflamed, like the neck, back, shoulder, sciatica, hips, knees, etc. That's not the body attacking itself.

Answered 11/29/2014

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Dr. Mitchell Cohn answered

Specializes in Pain Management

Not really: The pinching & chemical reactions that take place in & around a pinched nerve generally cause inflamm.Besides that, nerve inflamm, even w/out pinching, is a much more common entity than previously thought. Many, many people have inflamed nerves assoc'd w/pain, itching, weird sensations (paresthesias), etc. I would not be concerned about an autoimmune disease just because you have nerve inflamm.

Answered 9/29/2016

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