Do you know what the word “stenosis” means? It is a Greek word and means “choking”.
So spinal stenosis-your spine is choking?? Choking of the spine?? Actually, that is quite accurate! Spinal stenosis occurs when your spinal nerves and spine are being compressed (or choked), or in other words the space around your spinal cord and spinal nerves is shrinking, due to number of possible reasons such as aging, an injury, or medical conditions such as osteoporosis, arthritis, or a herniated disc.
Generally speaking, spinal stenosis shows up in older people as age is a dominant factor in whether you are susceptible to it or not; however, it has been known to appear in younger people and this is likely attributed to a long-term result of some sort of trauma that person has experienced. This could include a sport injury, motor vehicle accident or a physical assault.
How do I know if I have spinal stenosis?
Symptoms of spinal stenosis include numbness, tingling in your legs or other areas, discomfort, weakness and sharp pain. A long term symptom could include loss of mobility.
What are my treatment options for managing my spinal stenosis?
The first thing you want to do if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms is to go see your doctor so that he can make a precise diagnosis. Make sure that you are honest about your symptoms and that you don’t minimize the amount of pain that you are feeling. If your doctor has inaccurate information from you, he may not be able to make a proper assessment and may make a misdiagnosis.
Most of the basic treatments available do not cure the spinal stenosis but help you successfully manage your symptoms from your spinal stenosis.
It’s important to note that the treatment(s) you try depend on what symptoms you are experiencing and how advanced your spinal stenosis is (how compressed your spinal nerves are). There may be treatments that your doctor will tell you to avoid because they would be detrimental to you at your present condition. Or if you are already experiencing a loss of mobility your doctor may advise immediate surgery instead of trying all the other basic treatments first.
Over the counter medication
Over the counter anti-inflammatory and pain reliever medications such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen or naproxen can help alleviate the pain that you might be experiencing from your spinal stenosis.
Exercise
Go see a physical therapist who is familiar with spinal stenosis and who can create an exercise plan for you designed to strengthen your spine. If you notice that certain exercises cause you pain or discomfort make sure that you let your physical therapist know. You may need to change your body position while doing a particular exercise. For example, if you are biking you may be more comfortable if you lean with your arms on the handlebars so that your upper body is leaning forward. This is because as you lean forward it reduces the pain and discomfort caused by the compressed spinal nerves.
Medical brace
If your spinal stenosis has made it difficult to walk, you may need to wear a lumbar support brace or a corset brace. Ensure that you seek professional advice when purchasing a medical brace as it will need to be properly fitted so that it does not cause further damage and/or pain.
Cortisone
If your spinal stenosis is causing you severe pain and the over the counter medications are not helping you may want to ask your doctor about getting a cortisone injection. This is not a permanent fix but it will hopefully help you deal with the pain you are experiencing. For spinal stenosis the cortisone injection gets injected into the epidural area of the spine.
Surgery
Surgery is an option but is usually only done if the patient has been rendered unable to walk due to their spinal stenosis. Spinal surgery is a serious matter and one that can be very risky. Try all the other treatments available first and if nothing is working and you are losing mobility you may wish to ask your doctor about pursuing surgery. The surgery will reduce the compression on the nerves by taking out a part of a bone that is putting the pressure on the nerves. This procedure is called a laminectomy and can be done via tradition surgery methods or a less invasive microsurgical method.
This article is considered general information only; please consult a medical professional concerning your specific condition.
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