Spinal stenosis is a medical condition when the spaces between your spinal cord start narrowing down. Your spinal cord functions as a tunnel for your spinal vertebra. The lesser the space between your spinal canal, the more your spinal cord and the nerves branching off from it cramps.
The tighter the space, the more your spinal cord and nerves are excited, irritated, compressed, and pinched. This leads to back pain and other issues related to sciatica. Some other conditions and injuries may also contribute to the narrowing of your spinal canal.
While it can affect anyone, spinal stenosis is evidently visible in senior citizens aged 50 years and beyond.
Parts Affected by Spinal Stenosis
Spinal canal stenosis impacts two key areas of your spine:
Lower Back
Five bones in your lower back from your lumbar spine. Known as L1 to L5, these lumbar vertebrae are the largest of all. Lumbar spinal stenosis is a condition that impairs the functioning of this zone.
Neck
The cervical region in your neck consists of around seven vertebrae labelled as C1 to C7. The spinal stenosis condition impairing the functionality of this zone is called cervical spinal stenosis.
Apart from this, spinal stenosis can also impair your middle back or thoracic spine. However, this condition is very rare.
Spinal Stenosis Causes
The causes of the spinal stenosis include the following:
Spurs in Your Bones
Constant wear and tear of bones from arthritis might cause an extra bone to grow on your spine. This results in a condition called bone spurs extending to your spinal canal. A medical condition called Paget’s disease might also cause extra growth in your spine.
Herniated Disks
Herniated Disks add cushioning effects between your spinal bones to absorb all the shock built up there. In case the soft inner material in your disks leaks out, it can result in pressing on your spinal cord or your spinal nerves.
Thick Ligaments
Over time, the cords responsible for holding your spine bones together become stiff and thick. Thick ligaments can push themselves within your spinal canal.
Tumours
Even though chances are low, tumours can build up within your spinal canal, causing spinal canal stenosis.
Injuries to the Spine
Car accidents or traumas arising out of your spinal bones may either break or move out. Following your back surgery, the nearby tissues might experience swelling, thereby casting pressure on your spinal cord and nerves.
Spinal Stenosis Symptoms
Spinal stenosis is a fairly common phenomenon. It is a progressive disease impacting around 95 percent of individuals around 50 years of age. For all those beyond 65 years of age undergoing spine surgery, lumbar spinal canal stenosis is the most common occurrence.
While some people might show few symptoms, others might have none. Some of the commonly associated symptoms of spinal stenosis are tingling, pain, numbness, and weakness in the muscles. Symptoms might worsen further with time. Wear and tear of the spine is the most common cause of spinal canal stenosis. People exhibiting these symptoms might have to undergo surgical corrections.
Depending on how and where the stenosis is, you might experience pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness in your back, neck, arms, hands, legs, or feet. Spinal canal stenosis usually progresses over time. This is the reason why you might not even exhibit certain symptoms in the initial phase, even though your X-ray or other forms of imaging tests might exhibit positive results.
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Symptoms
To treat any health condition, it is critical to assess the symptoms first. Symptoms of the lumbar spinal stenosis are:
- Lower back pain
- Pain initiating in your buttocks and gradually tapering down in your legs, continuing towards your foot.
- Heaviness in your legs results in cramps in either or both of your legs.
- Feeling numb or experiencing tingling sensations in your legs, buttocks, or feet.
- Pain worsens when you stand for longer hauls or walk longer down the flat road or downstairs.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis Symptoms
Symptoms of the cervical spinal stenosis are:
- Pain in your neck
- Numb or tingling feeling in your hands, arms, feet or legs
- Feeling weak or clumsy in your leg, feet or hands
- Problems in balancing your body posture
- Decreased functionality of your hands
Spinal Canal Stenosis Diagnosis
Your doctor will review your medical history by observing your symptoms and a physical examination. They’ll press on different areas of your spine to see whether it results in pain. They’ll even ask you to lean in different directions to witness whether certain spinal positions lead to any symptoms or not.
You might be asked to undergo several imaging tests so that your doctor can witness your spine and determine the exact type, location and extent of your problem. Such tests include the following:
MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, works on radio waves and powerful magnets. It is useful to obtain a cross-sectional image of your spine, thereby detailing your disks, nerves, and your spinal cord. It can reveal deep-down tumours as well.
CT Scan
A CT scan or computer tomography is a combination of several X-rays. It again helps in obtaining cross-sectional images of your spine. A myelogram or CT scan uses contrasting dyes to provide you with a clearer image of your spinal nerves and cord.
Spine X-ray
X-rays are based on radiations, which are responsible for displaying changes in your bone structures. For example, they can clearly indicate a loss in the height of your disks or the development of bone spurs.
Don’t let Spinal Stenosis limit your life. Schedule an physiotherapy consultation now with FlexifyMe and start your journey to a pain-free life. Our expert therapists are here to help you regain your independence and quality of life.
Spinal Stenosis Treatment
There are several treatment options available for your spinal stenosis. The best one for you depends on the cause of your spinal canal stenosis, its location, and the severity of its symptoms. If the symptoms are mild, your doctor may recommend a few care measures to practise at home. If these do not work and cause further worsening of your spinal canal stenosis symptoms, your doctor may recommend physical therapy sessions, medicines, injections, and, in the end, surgical corrections.
Home Care for Spinal Stenosis
The home care for your spinal stenosis includes:
Give Heat Therapy
Applying heat therapy is usually a good choice for those who suffer from osteoarthritis pain. Heat therapy increases the flow of blood, thereby relaxing your muscles and relieving your joint aches. Make sure that you do not burn yourself with the high heat.
Give Cold Therapy
If heat is failing to ease your symptoms, try cold therapy. Check with an ice pack, a frozen gel pack, or a frozen peas bag. You can try this cold therapy for 20 minutes on and off. Ice is your helping hand to reduce tenderness, pain, and inflammation.
Exercising
Talk to your doctor about whether you can exercise to relieve your pain. It also works to strengthen your muscles to support your spine and improve both your balance and flexibility.
Physical Therapy for Spinal Stenosis
Talk to your doctor to connect you with a physical therapist to develop a back-healthy exercise program for your spinal stenosis. This will help you build flexibility, and stability, and balance your spine. They can even teach you how you should walk to open your spinal canal to help ease down your nerve pressures.
Medications for Spinal Stenosis
There are several over-the-counter and prescription medicines available for spinal canal stenosis. Your doctor is the right person to guide you with the correct prescription. His prescription depends on your lifestyle, the symptoms, and overall health. They will also consider whether you have any contraindications to certain ingredients in the medicines or not.
Spinal Stenosis Surgery
When nothing works, your doctor might ask you to go for a surgical correction. Laminectomy, Laminoplasty, minimally invasive surgery, decompression procedure, and spinal fusions are a few of the surgical options available. Again, your doctor is the right person to prescribe the correct one for you.
Conclusion
NIAMS-NIH published about Spinal stenosis results in narrowing the spaces within your spine and pinching your spinal cord and spinal nerves around it. You need to be careful about it, as it might result in numbness, pain and other associated issues. While there is no cure, however, adapting to a healthy lifestyle can help you ease your symptoms. Visit a doctor soon and get the right treatment prescribed for better management and recovery.
