Human nervous systems are complex networks of electrical signals that travel throughout your body. If these nerves become compressed or compressed too tightly, pain may result as well as other symptoms like tingling or numbness.
Nerve glides (also called nerve flossing) are an easy physical therapy technique designed to stretch and move nerves. By increasing mobility, these exercises help relieve any associated pain or numbness due to compression of a nerve.
Strengthening :
Nerve glides can provide significant improvement and reduction of pain for conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar neuropathy in the arm and hand, sciatic nerve issues in the lower back and legs and other sciatic nerve conditions. Controlled movements during nerve gliding exercises may stimulate natural pain-killers like endorphins to release naturally while increasing circulation brings essential nutrients and oxygen directly to affected tissues.
To perform a nerve glide, stand up straight with arms at your sides and lace your fingers together. Gently move your fingertips up and down as you pull back and extend outward, repeating 10 to 15 times for each hand.
Numerous studies support the use of nerve glides as an effective pain relief strategy. A 2022 PLoS One study followed 88 people suffering from neck pain and arm tingling. Each participant attended 12 sessions of physical therapy that focused on strengthening exercises guided by their therapist; half also performed nerve gliding exercises for their neck and arm issues.
Researchers found that nerve gliding showed comparable benefits to dynamic stretching for neck flexibility; however, nerve-gliding led to greater improvements in median nerve (which runs along your arm and wrist).
Studies conducted in Physiotherapy journal with 32 volunteers suffering from sciatica or lumbar spine pain involved either neural glides or dynamic stretching exercises; those receiving neural glides showed improved sciatic nerve mobility as well as leg and hip flexibility whereas dynamic stretching had no noticeable affect.
If you’re experiencing numbness and tingling in your neck, it may be due to an irritated nerve. Nerve gliding exercises are an excellent way to alleviate such neck pain; they can be done anywhere with some space available and should ease symptoms quickly. While you might feel some slight discomfort during these exercises, the pain should subside shortly afterwards.
Having difficulty finding an optimal position to do these exercises? Consult with your therapist; they’ll be able to show you the proper way and give helpful hints for optimizing their effects.
Nerve Gliding Exercises Flexibility :
Nerve gliding exercises can be an effective remedy for nerve-related pain. Their controlled movements stimulate endorphins – the body’s natural painkillers. Furthermore, nerve glides can improve circulation by providing nutrients and oxygen directly to affected nerves – speeding healing time while decreasing inflammation levels in conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome or brachial plexopathy.
Nerve gliding exercises aim to break adhesions between nerve sheaths and muscle fascia sheaths, often caused by nerve injuries. Adhesions between these sheaths and nerve sheaths may become trapped or compressed as joints move, creating pain-inducing adhesions which must be released for free movement – this is what nervous gliding exercises seek to accomplish! Gentle side-to-side or back-and-forth motions during nervous gliding exercises loosen these adhesions so the nerve can move freely as joints move, relieving pain associated with injuries while increasing its freedom as joints move with ease and relieving pain associated with injuries associated with an injury.
There are various nerve gliding exercises designed to treat specific conditions, such as slump stretching for the femoral nerve, which involves performing a simple movement while in a prone position that extends and flexes knee while simultaneously flexing upper arm. Another popular nerve glide exercise for treating median nerve dysfunction involves holding out your right arm with palm facing up while slowly bending wrist downward to fingertips before returning it to starting point.
Though evidence exists showing nerve gliding can increase hamstring flexibility and decrease nerve hypersensitivity, some researchers remain dubious of its benefits. Studies that randomly assigned participants to either neural gliding or dynamic stretching found similar increases in hamstring flexibility for both groups; however, those in neural gliding experienced less pain sensitivity than tensioning groups. Neural Gliding may be an effective tool to use as part of a pre-event warm-up; however, further research must be completed on its efficacy. In the meantime, make sure that exercises are performed safely within your comfort level, being aware of any increase in pain or discomfort when engaging in them.
Circulation :
Nerves can often be one of the last areas to recover after injury, which may explain why you continue to feel pain even after your muscles have relaxed and mobility has returned. Nerve gliding exercises (also referred to as nerve flossing) can help wake up your nerves by placing pressure from either side and stretching them in short movements; these short, purposeful moves help improve circulation while dissuading nerves from sending painful signals directly to the brain.
An experienced physical therapist can teach you the fundamentals of neural mobilization. However, performing these exercises at home can be more difficult as you must know which specific movement sequences will target each nerve that needs stretching and gliding. There are numerous combinations of movements available and any stretching should be conducted carefully to avoid causing additional damage or tension to nerves.
Many nerve gliding exercises target sciatic and femoral nerves in the lower body and legs. To perform them, sit on a chair in a slouched position while extending your knee and dorsiflexing your ankle alternating between these movements for 60 seconds each time; you should feel how these nerves stretch over time as you glide and stretch them.
Gliding exercises also target nerves running down arms and hands, such as the median nerve which connects your thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger and ulnar nerve – another target for these exercises.
Recent research examined the effects of neural gliding and dynamic stretching on hamstring flexibility and athletic performance among college athletes. Results demonstrated that neural gliding improved hamstring flexibility as much as dynamic stretching while having no negative impacts on three sports tests administered during testing sessions, suggesting neural gliding is an effective method for increasing hamstring flexibility before competing in sporting events and should be included as part of any warm-up process.
Pain Relief :
Nerve glides are also known as “nerve flossing.” Their controlled movements help stretch and flex nerves to release tension from them while also stimulating their natural pain-relieving chemicals in order to alleviate discomfort caused by nerve compression like carpal tunnel syndrome or sciatica.
Nerve gliding is an affordable, safe, and effective method for treating these conditions. Studies show it to be more effective than other conservative treatments like ultrasound therapy or wrist splints; its exercises may even help accelerate recovery time! Nerve gliding exercises may also be used alongside physical therapy sessions for maximum impact and faster results.
Nerve gliding can alleviate pain from any condition involving nerve compression; however, it’s particularly useful for patients experiencing symptoms related to carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), including numbness, tingling and weakness in their arms or hands. A few weeks of regular use can significantly diminish or eliminate these symptoms while simultaneously increasing strength and range of motion.
Recent research with CTS patients showed that nerve gliding is more effective in reducing symptoms than wrist splints or ultrasound therapy; further, nerve gliding proved superior in increasing range of motion and pain thresholds than any other modality studied.
Study findings also indicated that including nerve gliding exercises as part of daily routine increased effectiveness of treatment. Nerve glides should be performed regularly – at least three times each day for best outcomes and most significant decrease in pain/numbness levels.
These exercises may be performed from the comfort of your own home, however it is strongly advised that prior to initiating any new exercise regime it be discussed with a healthcare provider for proper execution in order to avoid injury or exacerbation of existing symptoms. It may also be wise to stop any exercises which cause discomfort or increase in sensitivity as this could indicate they aren’t suitable for your condition.
If you are suffering from arm or hand pain or numbness, try adding these easy exercises into your daily routine to see if they help. Nerve glides are safe to perform and make an ideal addition to any comprehensive rehabilitation or wellness program.
