Spinal stenosis occurs when the space in your spinal canal has narrowed or been taken up by something else. This infringement of space puts pressure on your spinal cord and spinal nerves and results in spinal stenosis.
What causes it?
What causes that narrowing of your spinal canal? Here are a number of reasons that can contribute to or cause that narrowing of your spinal canal which leads to spinal stenosis.
Aging
Aging is a major factor in increasing your chances of getting spinal stenosis. One thing that happens as our body’s age is that our ligaments become less flexible and tend to get stiff and thick. If this happens to the ligaments in your spine area they can bulge out into the spinal canal and compress the spinal cord and nerves.
As you age the discs in your back can start to deteriorate and break down. Sometimes if a tear has occurred the inner part of the disc can start to come out and bulge into the spinal canal, limiting the space around the spinal cord and nerves.
Osteoarthritis and osteoporosis are another condition associated with aging. These conditions cause your bones and your joints to deteriorate. As your body fights off the deterioration, it sometimes creates a bone growth to compensate for the deteriorated bone or joint. If this occurs in your spinal canal it takes up space and narrows the spinal canal.
Physical trauma
Any kind of physical trauma to your spine can result in spinal stenosis down the road. Any swelling or damage to the spinal canal will cause it to narrow and squeeze the spinal cord and nerves.
Additional causes
There are instances where spinal stenosis is not the result of aging or trauma. Certain genetic diseases can make a person susceptible to spinal stenosis. For example, Achondroplasia is a genetic disorder that causes your bones to form slowly and usually results in dwarfism. People with this condition usually have a narrow spinal canal. Another genetic disease called Paget’s disease causes the bone formation to be faster than normal resulting in bones that are weak, easily fractured and abnormal in size. This can also lead to a narrow spinal canal.
If you have been diagnosed with a tumor (cancerous or benign) on your spine or in your spinal canal you could also be a target for spinal stenosis. As the mass grows in size it will take up more space and your spinal cord and nerves will likely get compressed.
Spondylolisthesis is a medical condition that occurs when a vertebra has moved slightly out of position, perhaps due to injury, and results in the spine being out of alignment. This can lead to the spinal canal being narrowed in that particular area.
This article is considered general information only; please consult a medical professional concerning your specific condition.
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