What is Spinal Stenosis and What is the Best Spinal Stenosis Treatment?

Spinal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal which causes compression or squeezing of the spinal cord and nerves that radiate from the area which is affected. The most common cause of spinal stenosis is osteoarthritis-related bone damage.

Symptoms of spinal stenosis depend on where the narrowing of the spine is located. Compressed nerves in the lower spine can cause pain and cramping in the legs. This pain is more noticeable after long periods of walking or standing. Whereas, compression of the nerves in the neck can cause pain in the neck, shoulders, arms and hands.

To make an accurate diagnosis, a physical examination is necessary. Your reflexes will be tested and you will require X-rays, MRI or CT scans to show if spinal stenosis is the cause of the back pain.

The treatment for spinal stenosis depends on the amount of pain you are suffering. For mild pain, your doctor may prescribe, anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen, asprin or codeine. Or your doctor may give you epidural steroid injections. These contain corticosteroids and help to reduce inflammation.

You may be referred to a physical therapist to help build strength and flexibility to your spine. This is often the most common initial step in treatment. Physical therapy for spinal stenosis, places emphasis on strengthening and stretching the muscles of the back and improving posture.

Some modification of activities may be required. Most patients with spinal stenosis will usually feel more comfortable when flexed forward. The discomfort of walking may be eased by leaning on a walking stick, walker or shopping cart.

An exercise routine may be gradually built into your daily life such as walking. In fact keeping your joints and spine healthy by regular exercise, helps maintain spinal strength and flexibility. If sitting for long periods of time, you should ensure that you have a chair that supports your lower back and can be height adjusted.

Maintaining a healthy weight and diet all help in the treatment of spinal stenosis. Losing even a small amount of weight is often sufficient in relieving back pain. By removing just ten pounds or more means the spine supports less load.

A lumbar support cushion can be of great benefit if you cannot change your chair. This also has the advantage of being portable. For moderate to severe pain, you may be advised to wear a back brace, which will help support the spine.

It cannot be stressed enough how important the right mattress is. Many of us hang onto our mattresses for far too long. Ten years is the recommended life span of a mattress. If you have a back condition including spinal stenosis, it is best to get professional advice on the type of bed that will be best for you. Using pillows for support under your knees in bed can help to relieve the stress on your back muscles and help with the pain of spinal stenosis.

As with many spinal conditions, surgery is often used only as a last resort if other methods have failed and pain is severe. In these types of spinal stenosis cases a decompression laminectomy may be performed. This is the removal of extra bone mass that has developed and is compressing the nerves. This procedure allows the nerves more space and should reduce the pain.

Depending on the extent of the spinal stenosis, surgery may remove enough of the supporting structures of the spine, that support needs to be added. In this case a spinal fusion procedure is carried out.It can be performed at the same time as a laminectomy or separately. Spinal fusion, fuses two or more vertebrae together to offer more support for the spine to prevent problems of instability of the spine. However, most spinal stenosis cases will not require surgery and it is generally an elective procedure.

More recent developments in treatment for spinal stenosis include laser spine surgery. This is minimally invasive, where a laser is inserted through a series of tubes. The laser may be used to burn off or deaden the nerves causing the pain. There are several advantages to this type of surgery. The recovery time is shorter, less anaesthesia is used and there is reduced post-operative pain.

Spine implants are another relatively new surgical option for spinal stenosis. Spine implants are designed to be implanted into the spine and then correct the compression issues.

The chosen treatment for spinal stenosis depends on many factors and a patient should not only consult with their doctor or specialist, but research all the options before deciding on their course of treatment. Sometimes it is advisable to get a second opinion or talk to an orthopaedic or neurosurgeon before making the final decision.