What is Spinal Stenosis?

The symptoms of lumbar stenosis often include lower back and leg pain.

For many of us, advancing age brings on more than just grey hair and wrinkles. It also may include degenerative changes to the spine. It’s not always the aging process that’s the culprit, but oftentimes it’s the cumulative effect of years of neglect.

Spinal stenosis is one such condition. It’s a narrowing of the canal housing the spinal cord. In the neck it’s called cervical stenosis. In the lower back lumbar stenosis.

It’s rarely diagnosed before the age of 60, but can occur in younger people congenitally.

Narrowing of the spinal canal puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerve roots which can produce a variety of symptoms.

The symptoms of lumbar stenosis often include lower back pain, leg pain, or numbness.  Many people have problems with walking, balance, and bladder control. Symptoms of cervical stenosis can be just as troubling. Besides neck pain, people may experience burning and tingling in the hands along with grip strength loss and generalized arm weakness.

Patients with cervical stenosis have often had an injury or trauma to their neck. Whiplash from a car accident is among the most common.

Medical treatment includes medication, physical therapy, injections or surgery. But medication has side effects. Physical therapy merely exercises  the muscles around misaligned spinal joints and surgery is risky, with little guarantee of success. Just ask Steve Kerr, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors. He’s been quoted as saying that “If anyone tells you that you need back surgery, don’t do it.” Most of us know how that turned out for him.

Many people using chiropractic care report improvement from spinal stenosis. Chiropractic care seeks to make improvements to the underlying cause. Restoring spinal alignment, motion and normal spinal curves may reduce spinal stenosis. It’s an approach that’s all natural and non-invasive.

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Therapy is particularly effective for lumbar spine disc related problems, including stenosis. We added this technology to our practice sixteen years ago and have a very high success rate with these cases. Take a look at paloaltospinemed.com for more information regarding this treatment option.

If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms of spinal stenosis, give us a call and schedule a consultation and complimentary MRI review.