Your body's intricate nervous system helps enable you to feel, think, move, see, breath and function. The 33 bones (vertebrae) of your spine are cushioned by nearly as many discs, are attached to hundreds of muscles in your body and most importantly, protect your spinal cord and the many nerves that branch out from the cord, between the bones. When problems occur with the bones, discs, or other tissues of the spine, damage to the spinal cord or nerves that branch out from it can result.

A pinched nerve or "stinger" is one condition that results when a bone spur or disc presses against the root of a nerve leading out from the spinal cord. Sciatica is a common and quite painful example of a pinched nerve.

Conditions that affect the nerves include:

• Herniated disc
• Spinal stenosis
• Osteoarthritis
• Vertebral fracture
• Spondylolisthesis
• Tumors

Sutter's skilled specialists and advanced diagnostic and treatment technology offer patients the opportunity to determine the exact cause and nature of the nerve involvement and provide a full range of treatment options.

For an overview of the nervous system and how it can be affected by various problems, please see nervous system problems and sciatica in our Healthwise section. You can find additional information under neurologic diseases and sciatica in MedlinePlus®, a joint effort of the National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine.