Spinal Stenosis

Spinal nerves travel throughout the spinal canal, and exit through many openings to connect to the rest of the body. In some cases, one or more of these spaces may be too narrow. If the space is too narrow and causes the nerves difficulty exiting the spinal canal, they may become compressed and cause you pain.

Spinal Stenosis occurs in the neck and lower back most often. There are several reasons one might suffer from this condition, including:

• Bone spurs as a result of osteoarthritis
• Thickening of spinal ligaments
• Herniated disc or other injury
• Tumors
• Simply born with a smaller spinal canal

Symptoms of Spinal Stenosis depend largely on what nerves have been affected. This condition most commonly occurs in the neck or lower back, meaning pain in these areas is possible. Other symptoms may include:

• Sensations of numbness or tingling
• Feeling of weakness
• Pain in the hands, arms, legs or feet
• Issues balancing
• Bowel or bladder issues

No matter the case, symptoms generally begin mild, but can very quickly worsen over time.

As with the symptoms, treatment for Spinal Stenosis largely depends on the area of the issue, along with the severity. For mild cases, it’s’ often the case that medication, injections or physical therapy is enough to solve the issue. If these methods do not work, or the case becomes more severe, surgery may be required.