Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis, or stenosis of the spine is a very painful condition that is characterised by a narrowing of the spinal-cord. The significant pain can be accompanied by a decrease in the quality of life.

This includes muscle weakness and wasting due to a significant lack of exercise and physical activity. It is one of the many conditions that mimics the effects of a bulging disc.

There is also an increase in medical costs in order to cover the condition and its symptoms. It is commonly associated with the lower back where it is persistent, and is regularly accompanied and caused by general aging.

Severe spinal stenosis is something that will cause pressure on the nerves. This has a knock-on effect on other areas of the body. Stenosis symptoms and results can either be a general numbness in the area, or significant pain. Discomfort and general tingling are also very common.

For this condition in the neck, known as cervical spinal stenosis, there may be pain or numbness in areas of the hands, shoulders, and arms. According to the severity of the condition, gone untreated, it can become significantly debilitating. Therefore it is critical to get it correctly diagnosed and proceed with a course of treatment and/or therapy.

If you suffer from significant spinal stenosis pain in the lower back, known as lumbar spinal stenosis, then you may also suffer from a loss of control in your bowels and bladder due to the compression of the nerves that accompany these areas.

One of the most frequent symptoms of this type of condition is a general cramping in the legs, often relieved by simply sitting down, bending and stretching. It is also common to see a significant disability due to pain in the areas ranging from the lower back and hips all the way down to the bottom of the leg.

Pain in the foot, weakness of the muscles, and numbness can also become very severe. This often makes it difficult for a sufferer to know when their foot is safely placed on the ground, leading to potential risk of accidents and injury.

The condition can be caused due to general bone degeneration that occurs later on in life, or it can be present from birth. It can also be caused by general aging and the changes that will take place within the vertebrae as a result.

When the vertebrae becomes softer with aging, a disc can rupture, leading to a bulging or herniated disc that causes compression on the spinal-cord. This in turn can lead to spinal stenosis.

It is common to see the condition arise as a result of tumours and other abnormal growths which cause pressure on the spine. And a condition called Paget's disease is also very commonly thought of as a cause of spinal stenosis.

"What is spinal stenosis?", is the first incredulous question of people who first hear this terminology when it is applied to their situation. This is a very thorough explanation of spinal stenosis by Dr. James Hamada.

The treatment for this condition will completely depend upon its severity, and there are a number of different options that you could take advantage of. First, of course, it is absolutely crucial that you consult with your doctor in order to find out how serious the problem is. They will be the only ones in a position to diagnose your condition. This needs to be your first step in order to find out about suitable treatments.

Any mild case of stenosis may respond fairly well to limited activity and medication. Any exercise that will increase the movement of the spine and its mobility should be incorporated into your treatment if possible. This should be as long as all your actions are guided by a physician and physical therapist.

In order to relieve pain it is also possible to take steroid injections that will calm down the inflamation of nerves, thus reducing the pain in the back. It is also important to know that if the condition is diagnosed fairly early then certain abdominal exercise can be used in order to strengthen the lower back. This may help avoid the symptoms becoming worse.

Of course, if the condition is very serious then surgical procedures may be required. However, if ever this is an option it is always very important to consider the risks and benefits of taking this course of action with your doctor. Often a spinal surgical procedure will involve fusing the spine so that the vertebrae cannot slip. Surgery can also be used in order to relieve the pressure on the spine and the spinal-cord.

Of course, as everyone knows, prevention is always better than cure. There are certain things that you can do in order to prevent spinal stenosis in the first place.

One of the most important of these is to simply maintain good posture in all aspects of your life, particularly when lifting heavy objects. In addition, make sure you get plenty of physical activity, improve flexibility through stretching, and sleep on a comfortably firm mattress that supports your back. These aspects are even more important as you begin to get older, when spinal stenosis becomes more likely to develop.