What Is Nerve Entrapment?

INTRO: When Pain Doesn’t Follow the Rules

Not all pain is sharp or sudden. Sometimes it’s dull, nagging, or oddly persistent. Maybe you’ve stretched, strengthened, rested, even had a clean MRI—but the symptoms linger. Tingling. Tightness. A strange ache. Maybe even weakness. And still, no clear answer.

If that’s your story, you may be dealing with something called nerve entrapment—a condition that’s often missed by traditional testing and treatment.

What Is Nerve Entrapment?

Nerve entrapment occurs when a nerve becomes mechanically restricted—often due to surrounding muscles, fascia, or scar tissue (adhesion). These restrictions interfere with how the nerve slides and moves, which can limit blood flow, impair function, and cause symptoms.

The tricky part? Entrapments often won’t show up on imaging. And they don’t always feel like classic “nerve pain.”

Instead, symptoms might include:

Persistent tightness that doesn’t respond to stretching
Localized weakness
A deep, dull ache
Discomfort with movement or prolonged positions
Or, yes—tingling, burning, or numbness

This wide range of symptoms makes nerve entrapment one of the most misdiagnosed or overlooked conditions in musculoskeletal care.

Common Sites of Nerve Entrapment

Here’s where nerve entrapments commonly occur—and how they might feel:

Lower Body

Sciatic Nerve (Glute/Hamstring): Deep butt or hamstring pain, discomfort with sitting, limited forward bending
Tibial Nerve (Calf/Ankle): Burning in the arch or sole, foot tingling
Femoral Nerve (Hip): Front thigh discomfort, difficulty climbing stairs
Cluneal Nerves (Low Back): Localized burning at the beltline, worsens with sitting

Upper Body

Ulnar Nerve (Elbow): Tingling in the ring/pinky fingers, weak grip
Median Nerve (Wrist): Numbness in the thumb and first fingers (often misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel)
Radial Nerve (Arm): Wrist weakness, dull ache on back of the hand
Suprascapular Nerve (Shoulder): Deep shoulder ache, external rotation weakness

Why It’s Often Missed

Nerve entrapments are frequently overlooked because:

They don’t always follow textbook patterns
Symptoms can mimic muscular tightness or joint pain
Imaging like MRIs or X-rays typically appear normal
Many providers aren’t trained to assess soft tissue restrictions or test nerve mobility directly

As a result, people get bounced around between providers—or told nothing’s wrong—while the real problem persists.

Common Misdiagnoses

Nerve entrapments are often mistaken for:

Tendonitis or bursitis
Piriformis syndrome
IT band syndrome
“Tight hamstrings”
Herniated discs (despite clean imaging)

The key difference? These diagnoses focus on structures—not function. If a nerve can’t slide or is getting compressed, it won’t matter how much you stretch or strengthen. The symptoms won’t truly go away.

How We Assess Nerve Entrapment

At Resolve STS, we use a systemized process based on Adhesion Release Methods™ (ARM) to assess for nerve entrapment:

Detailed History — We ask the right questions to reveal nerve-related patterns
Functional Testing — We test movement, range, and symptom provocation
Palpation — We physically assess tissues and nerves (yes, that’s possible!)
Tension Testing — We evaluate whether the nerve can glide as it should

This process helps us locate the exact area where restriction is occurring—even when everything “looks normal” on a scan.

How We Treat It

Once the entrapment is located, we apply hands-on techniques to release the adhesion or restriction around the nerve.

This may include:

Manual therapy to release adhesion surrounding the nerve
Tool-assisted work (like shockwave or instrument-assisted work)
Follow-up movement testing to track real progress

You’re not just left wondering if it’s working—we test and retest every visit to see the change unfold.

Why You Might Not Feel “Nerve Pain”

Contrary to popular belief, nerve entrapments don’t always feel electric. Many patients never experience the stereotypical zapping or shooting sensations.

Instead, nerve irritation often causes:

Local fatigue or weakness
Pain with load or prolonged movement
A vague feeling of “tightness” that doesn’t resolve

So if your symptoms don’t make sense—or don’t change with typical treatment—it’s time to think outside the box.

Who This Is For

You may be dealing with nerve entrapment if:

You have pain, weakness, or strange symptoms with no clear injury
Movement makes your symptoms worse
Rest and stretching haven’t helped
PT, massage, or chiropractic offered only short-term relief
Imaging looks fine, but your body says otherwise

How to Get Help

If you’ve been chasing answers for pain that doesn’t fit the mold—let’s take a different approach.

At Resolve Soft Tissue & Spine, we specialize in uncovering and resolving the hidden restrictions that others miss. Using Adhesion Release Methods™, we test, treat, and retest every step of the way.

Located in Charlotte, NC — helping patients from across the region find lasting relief.

Book a consultation today and let’s figure out what’s really going on—and how we can help.