Can a pinched nerve cause these symptoms?
26 male, 6ft, 160lb, non-smoker.
About a week ago I began to notice a cluster of symptoms all at the same time. Starting with excess saliva, slight slur/stumbling on words, left-sided jaw pain, left sided headache, the left side of my face has a sort of tight sensation, or maybe weakness? (Almost feels like it's drooping or my face is melting,) soon after I noticed that my left shoulder and arm are heavy, almost as if the entire left side of my upper body is being weighed down. I also notice pain in my back and shoulder, but now intermittent spasticity in my left hand and arm, as they seem to want to curl and tense up really tight.
This is about 20 months after I noticed symptoms in my right leg including tightness, weakness and twitching localized in my right quad muscles, knee, and calf. I have not noticed atrophy. My right quad muscles were confirmed 4/5 strength/reduced recruitment via EMG 5 months ago with no other findings
I have been referred to a neurologist and will receive EMGs and an MRI, and now I'm wondering if these things could all line up with radiculopathy, or some other musculoskeletal issue, or if I should be worried about a neurological issue.
I'm making this post to see if this cluster of symptoms stands out to anyone as I have seen a few different doctors and have been given multiple different avenues to persue.
Posted May 6, 2026, 11:12 PM UTC