If you had a pinched nerve in Thailand, what were your experiences?

 

From diagnosis. How was it diagnosed?

 

To treatment. How was it treated, and what was the approximate cost?

17 minutes ago, Packer said:

If you had a pinched nerve in Thailand, what were your experiences?

 

From diagnosis. How was it diagnosed?

 

To treatment. How was it treated, and what was the approximate cost?

 

One should first state where, exactly, this pinched nerve might be.

 

I would prefer to refer to it as a compressed nerve.

 

Avoid back surgery at all costs, no matter what the cost.

 

In most cases, time is the great healer, which heals all things.

 

Of course, we all know that compressed nerves can be excruciating, depending on where they may be.

Also, I would not take too many NSAIDs, due to gastro issues, etc.

 

1 minute ago, GammaGlobulin said:

One should first state where, exactly, this pinched nerve might be.

 

Perhaps you misread the questions, as you didn't answer one of them, or even mention if you fit the criteria to, which apparently you don't. 🙂 

"pinched nerve" is a lay term and refers to compression of a nerve which could be anywhere in the body and from many very, very different causes. Ranging from simple muscle spasm to a bulging intervertebral disc to bone-on-bone compression. Treatment has to vary with the cause.

 

Many, many AN members have has pain from compressed disks and their experiences vary widely according to the underlying cause.

 

I have, at various times,  had nerve compression in both back and hand, from muscle spasm, from bulging intervertebral disks, from compression from bone (bone spurs, collapsed inter-vertebral space) and from narrowed carpal tunnel space.

 

All of these were treated differently according to the underlying cause:

 

-exercise (manly stretches) and medication

- hand splints

- steroid injections

- surgery

 

You really need to specify where on the body this is, how severe (e.g. does the pain or numbness radiate) and, if known, the cause.  Also, since you specifically state "pinched nerve", it sounds like it has been so diagnosed. Who made that diagnosis, and how?

 

For nerve compression in the spine, Xrays and MRIs are needed for diagnosis. Xray at a minimum, and often MRI.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many pinched nerves is stress related, immobility caused or just not moving and stretching enough. 

 

Exercise is useally the best of there is no severe cause. 

 

Always first thing check for any inflammation and deal with that first before starting anything else, still easy walks, massages and swimming is recommended as well look in to your diet and see if there is anything to do about your situation as well. 

 

 

AI says

 

A pinched nerve is caused by pressure from surrounding tissues on a nerve, with potential contributors including injury, repetitive motion, arthritis, obesity, and certain conditions like herniated discs or bone spurs. While stress can increase the risk by causing muscle tension, it's not a direct cause of a pinched nerve. Management involves initial rest and potentially anti-inflammatory treatments for inflammation, with gentle movement like walking or swimming, massage, physical therapy, and lifestyle changes such as diet and posture, offering support for recovery and prevention. 

11 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Many pinched nerves is stress related, immobility caused or just not moving and stretching enough. 

 

Exercise is useally the best of there is no severe cause. 

 

Always first thing check for any inflammation and deal with that first before starting anything else, still easy walks, massages and swimming is recommended as well look in to your diet and see if there is anything to do about your situation as well. 

 

 

 

I would agree.

Especially, ensuring that some good exercise regimen is persistent over time, such as over months and years.

Exercise will strengthen the muscles required to support the skeleton, which will help to avoid problems such as compressed nerves.

 

Like Sheryl, I've had my share of 'nerve' issues.  Back; 2 herniated, 5 degenerative & bulging. Neck, simply minor compressed or out of alignment, and Chiro adjustment works fine, for neck and back adjustments.   Cost for Chiro has ranged from 500 to 3000 THB.

 

Herniated fixed via surgery (not fused).  And all behaving since retiring, with a little adjustment maintenance.

 

Carpel tunnel (hand), and therapeutically massaged away, forget the price of sessions, buy inexpensive enough to not make an impression.   Brother had exact same, opted for surgery, and his returned, unlike mine, and seem corrected.

 

If you need a Chiro, and in Krung Thep area, Dr Oat is excellent, and been adjusting me for past 20 ish yrs.  Call first, but he'll probably require snaps of the affected areas before touching you.   Anyone who doesn't, and I'd be leery of using.

21 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I've had my share of 'nerve' issues.  Back; 2 herniated, 5 degenerative & bulging. Neck, simply minor compressed or out of alignment, and Chiro adjustment works fine, for neck and back adjustments. 

 

How were they diagnosed? 

2 minutes ago, Packer said:

How were they diagnosed? 

MRI for the back issues, T12-L5.

 

Rest simply by the symptoms, with adjustments providing instant relief, especially neck & mid back.   Neck & mid back, I think were just from driving POS cars. 

 

Haven't had any issues since upgrading from entry level JP badged 'made in TH' cars to the SUVs from a Chinese auto maker ... go figure.

 

Carpel Tunnel, simple diagnose of hand / wrist symptoms, and really easy to spot & diagnose.

3 hours ago, Packer said:

If you had a pinched nerve in Thailand,

Yes

3 hours ago, Packer said:

Thailand, what were your experiences?

Severe pain in lower back from spine to hip.

3 hours ago, Packer said:

From diagnosis. How was it diagnosed?

Self diagnosed as knowing what to do and what type of treatment needed.

3 hours ago, Packer said:

To treatment. How was it treated

Osteopath here in cm did a combination of acupuncture and chiropractic manipulation. 
 

 

3 hours ago, Packer said:

and what was the approximate cost?

1000฿

 

Had my doubts about the treatment, had the pain for years and the nickel and dime gimmicks chiropractic treatments were futile until I came across this guy in cm, pain completely gone after the first visit. And no, wouldn’t ever go see a spinal physician for pinched nerves unless the back was broken.

57 minutes ago, novacova said:

1000฿

 

Had my doubts about the treatment, had the pain for years and the nickel and dime gimmicks chiropractic treatments were futile until I came across this guy in cm, pain completely gone after the first visit. And no, wouldn’t ever go see a spinal physician for pinched nerves unless the back was broken.

 

Can you post or DM his information please. Thank you. 

1 hour ago, Packer said:

Can you post or DM his information please. Thank you.

Sure thing.

I can't walk more than 20 minutes before my feet feel numb.

X-ray and MRI.

I have L4 L5 stenosis. Doctors at both Bangkok Pattaya Hospital and Bangkok Nursing hospital recommended fusion. I will have it done at BNH by Dr Wicharn this Wed Sept 10. 730k to 780k.

 

5 hours ago, Packer said:

If you had a pinched nerve in Thailand, what were your experiences?

 

From diagnosis. How was it diagnosed?

 

To treatment. How was it treated, and what was the approximate cost?

 

I went to hospital with neck pain last month felt like trapped nerve.

first  X-rays and some tabs for 2 weeks see if it posture.

went back after 2 weeks which was last week  wasn’t feeling good at all lot off pressure around neck shoulders ear felt blocked.

straight in for mri and confirmed couple off degenerate disks………ddd.

 

now trying some tablets which have took away a lot of pain,,,,see doc again in 2 weeks…

 

So  X-ray/mri depend where pain is

1 hour ago, taninthai said:

I went to hospital with neck pain last month felt like trapped nerve.

first  X-rays and some tabs for 2 weeks see if it posture.

went back after 2 weeks which was last week  wasn’t feeling good at all lot off pressure around neck shoulders ear felt blocked.

straight in for mri and confirmed couple off degenerate disks………ddd.

 

now trying some tablets which have took away a lot of pain,,,,see doc again in 2 weeks…

 

So  X-ray/mri depend where pain is

 

Sorry to hear that, and good luck with it. 

 

How much was the MRI of you neck area? 

9 hours ago, Packer said:

 

Sorry to hear that, and good luck with it. 

 

How much was the MRI of you neck area? 

13,000 bht for mri on spine 

private hospital all decided and done within 3 hours

12 hours ago, taninthai said:

I went to hospital with neck pain last month felt like trapped nerve.

first  X-rays and some tabs for 2 weeks see if it posture.

went back after 2 weeks which was last week  wasn’t feeling good at all lot off pressure around neck shoulders ear felt blocked.

straight in for mri and confirmed couple off degenerate disks………ddd.

 

now trying some tablets which have took away a lot of pain,,,,see doc again in 2 weeks…

 

So  X-ray/mri depend where pain is

What tablets are you taking that is taking away most of the pain?

 

I ask because I have several degenerative discs in my back and spine, and the pain is pretty bad sometimes especially after waking up.

 

Thanks

24 minutes ago, racyrick said:

What tablets are you taking that is taking away most of the pain?

 

I ask because I have several degenerative discs in my back and spine, and the pain is pretty bad sometimes especially after waking up.

 

Thanks

Lyrica 75mg are working for me this week..

last week had tolperisone 200mg and celebrex 200mg…….theyvalso worked but don’t recommend celebrex continued use

My experiences both a herniated disc and thereafter Degentive Disc Disease in neck

but were in the US.

Packer

5 hours ago, taninthai said:

Lyrica 75mg are working for me this week..

last week had tolperisone 200mg and celebrex 200mg…….theyvalso worked but don’t recommend celebrex continued use

Thank you!

I'm extremely active and have had 100s of pinched nerves the last 2 decades here in Thailand.  The odds of a doctor providing any additional assistance is slim in most situations. You haven't provided any details on what nerve is pinched and what you have done to alleviate the pain.  

 

The surgery route is extremely risky and has ruined my brothers life.  He had his done by a top surgeon in the USA.  Time and place for everything but going under the knife is extremely risky IMO.

 

My order of treatment from low to extreme:

* Heat pad

* Acupuncture

* Massage

* Diclofenac (high dosage >100 mg for a couple days than drop down to 25mg over a week )

* Doctor visit - good luck because it will be useless with the rare exception.

* cortisone injection ( low probability of it being the solution but when it is, it is wonderful )

 

Rinse and repeat the above as needed 🙂

 

In the end I fight through the pain and try to stay active.  Sitting around because movement hurts is what creates a chronic decline and anxiety. 

8 hours ago, atpeace said:

I'm extremely active and have had 100s of pinched nerves the last 2 decades here in Thailand.  The odds of a doctor providing any additional assistance is slim in most situations. You haven't provided any details on what nerve is pinched and what you have done to alleviate the pain.  

 

The surgery route is extremely risky and has ruined my brothers life.  He had his done by a top surgeon in the USA.  Time and place for everything but going under the knife is extremely risky IMO.

 

My order of treatment from low to extreme:

* Heat pad

* Acupuncture

* Massage

* Diclofenac (high dosage >100 mg for a couple days than drop down to 25mg over a week )

* Doctor visit - good luck because it will be useless with the rare exception.

* cortisone injection ( low probability of it being the solution but when it is, it is wonderful )

 

Rinse and repeat the above as needed 🙂

 

In the end I fight through the pain and try to stay active.  Sitting around because movement hurts is what creates a chronic decline and anxiety. 

You don't mention stretches? they can be game changers if you find the right ones, for me the rag doll made a massive difference, focus on tight hamstrings 

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

You don't mention stretches? they can be game changers if you find the right ones, for me the rag doll made a massive difference, focus on tight hamstrings 

They do work for many and I definitely would recommend. For whatever reason I have had little success with stretching and believe me I have tried. Trigger point massage is a form of stretching and I do these weekly.  I wonder why I forgot to mention this...

On 9/7/2025 at 1:54 PM, Packer said:

If you had a pinched nerve in Thailand, what were your experiences?

 

From diagnosis. How was it diagnosed?

 

To treatment. How was it treated, and what was the approximate cost?

Give your body time to recover: self healing power.

Then Vit.B12 is helpful.

Some Physio as well

Of course key is what nerve are we talking about, what is understood by "pinching" and what are the symptoms. Technicality: a slipped disc compresses a nerve root, which is not yet a nerve.

On 9/7/2025 at 2:15 PM, GammaGlobulin said:

 

One should first state where, exactly, this pinched nerve might be.

 

I would prefer to refer to it as a compressed nerve.

 

Avoid back surgery at all costs, no matter what the cost.

 

In most cases, time is the great healer, which heals all things.

 

Of course, we all know that compressed nerves can be excruciating, depending on where they may be.

Also, I would not take too many NSAIDs, due to gastro issues, etc.

 

I got my pinch nerve from a physical therapist in Thailand because he was to aggressive with his treatment.  Numbness down my arm and my hand. It was awful and all they could say was Sorry. The most used and Insensitive word in Thailand.

44 minutes ago, pchansmorn said:

I got my pinch nerve from a physical therapist in Thailand because he was to aggressive with his treatment.  Numbness down my arm and my hand. It was awful and all they could say was Sorry. The most used and Insensitive word in Thailand.

 

This is quite important information and a word of warning that you have here provided.

 

Personally, I would never let one of these practitioners work on me, for any amount of money.

 

They very infrequently have a deep knowledge of anatomy, or the nervous system.

 

Also, even though I would not classify them as quacks, they do purport to be able to do things that has been proven, scientifically, as impossible.

 

I would consider them to be the analogous to the western Chiropracter.

 

I would not touch them with a ten-foot pole.

 

Once damage has been done, by them, then much recuperation might be required to get back to normal.

 

This seems to be a serious issue, and there are no accurate records kept about ho much damage they might do, just through "manipulation" of the body or spine, for example.

 

SORRY is NOT Enough, if they say this.

And, there is no route for financial restitution for damages, when physical damages occur.

 

If you want to get a back-rub from one of these places, then maybe OK.

But, deep massage, or having some girl walk on your back?

Never attempt this, PLEASE....

 

THINK before you set foot into one of these places.

Otherwise, you might be sorry.

 

Once the damage is done, then it is done. And then, you might need to visit a REAL doctor to remedy the damage done....

 

Here is a song for you about the Damage Done....maybe this might help us to remember and take a lesson from your experience....

 

 

 

Hope you get well soon.

This might take time.

 

The trauma to the nerves and joints might take time to recover...but....SURELY it will.....

 

PS:  Sometimes, when the pain of a compressed nerve becomes almost intolerable...then....often retreat to good music can help to divert attention from the pain of it all.....

 

The pain from a compressed nerve can be completely debilitating. And, often, three or four weeks is required to recover....I know this is true from my own experience.

 

 

Unbearable shooting pains down the left leg.
Immediately suspected compression on the sciatic nerve.

Physio, stretching, never worked.

 

MRI scan 8,000 BHT found a compressed disc.
Referred to neurosurgeon who perform endoscopic surgery to 'inflate' the disc.
3,500 BHT, in and out in 3 hours, Government hospital.

No problems thereafter.

1 hour ago, Liquorice said:

Unbearable shooting pains down the left leg.
Immediately suspected compression on the sciatic nerve.

Physio, stretching, never worked.

 

MRI scan 8,000 BHT found a compressed disc.
Referred to neurosurgeon who perform endoscopic surgery to 'inflate' the disc.
3,500 BHT, in and out in 3 hours, Government hospital.

No problems thereafter.

Glad to hear about your successful treatment.  I wish this was available for me 40 years ago.  Took me months of agonizing pain and physical therapy to get relief.  Stretching exercises and daily swimming finally worked.

I imagine that the surgical procedure you had would be very costly in the U.S.  Again, happy for you.