Once your doctor has confirmed that you have spinal stenosis, questions about your treatment options are probably the first thing to come to mind. Are there any treatments that will help relieve your pain? Will you need surgery? First, you should know that surgery to treat spinal stenosis is relatively rare and is reserved for a small percentage of patients with the condition. Second, your doctor will most likely recommend a regimen of conservative (nonsurgical) treatments to help mitigate your symptoms based on their location, frequency, and intensity, as well as your age and overall health. In the majority of cases, conservative spinal stenosis treatment is enough to relieve symptoms and help the patient return to a high quality of life.
Continue reading “Spinal Stenosis Treatment – Exploring Your Options” »
Spinal stenosis symptoms 
are fairly easy for a spine specialist to recognize,
but for your doctor to accurately diagnose you, explaining your symptoms in as much detail as possible can be incredibly helpful. Symptoms typically arise in response to some form of nerve compression, with pressure placed on either the spinal cord or one of its nerve roots. Nerve compression can be caused by many other anatomical abnormalities in the spine, so carefully documenting your exact symptoms is essential in helping determine the cause of the stenosis, or narrowing, within your spinal column. Continue reading “Spinal Stenosis Symptoms – Can You Identify Your Discomfort?” »
by LMatthews on May 1, 2012
Scoliosis can cause back pain in children, infants, and adults and is a condition where the spinal curvature becomes abnormal leading, potentially, to breathing problems, pain, spinal stenosis, and abnormal posture. Many cases of scoliosis in children are mild and remain asymptomatic but other cases can become severe and debilitating.
Whilst scoliosis is not a common cause of back pain in kids, the back condition may require surgery, use of a scoliosis back brace, or other intervention to correct the abnormality. The underlying pathology of scoliosis in children can include spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis, Scheuermann kyphosis, disc herniation, or hydromyelia, although many cases of childhood scoliosis have no known cause and are referred to as idiopathic scoliosis. Continue reading “Scoliosis in Children – Causes of Back Pain in Kids” »
Several types of doctors can make a spinal stenosis diagnosis, but it’s likely that you’ll begin by consulting with your primary care physician when you first experience symptoms of pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness in the back, neck, and/or extremities. Your primary care physician will probably perform a physical exam and review your symptoms, but may refer you to a specialist for more advanced testing, such as an X-ray, MRI, or CT scan. If you prefer to visit a specialist for an initial consultation, most orthopedists and neurologists would also be qualified to diagnose your condition.
Continue reading “What Type of Doctor Can Make a Spinal Stenosis Diagnosis?” »
by LMatthews on April 25, 2012
Most people are free of daily chronic pain such as can occur with spinal stenosis and so don’t understand how back pain can ruin your life, affecting your work, relationships, family, and recreation. Chronic pain of any kind is associated with an increased rate of depression, with back pain found to increase the likelihood of a patient also being depressed by six times. Around 6% of pain-free people suffer from major depression according to a rigorous community health survey conducted in Canada in recent years. The rate of major depression in those with chronic back pain? Nearly twenty percent. Yet only a small number of studies have looked at the relationship between back pain and depression and patients often receive little help for either condition. Continue reading “Depression and Back Pain – How Back Pain Can Ruin Your Life” »
Anatomical degeneration is a natural part of the aging process, and it affects each person differently. While some people may exhibit degeneration in areas of the spine as early as their 30s or 40s, many others won’t notice signs of anatomical deterioration until their 50s, 60s, or even 70s. One of the first anatomical structures to experience the effects of degeneration is the spine, because it bears a great deal of weight and is involved in almost every form of body movement. Continue reading “Spinal Stenosis Causes – Understanding the Degenerative Process in the Spine” »
by LMatthews on April 7, 2012
Spinal stenosis may have a genetic component but age-related degeneration is the usual culprit.
When first diagnosed with
spinal stenosis, many patients ask if the condition is
hereditary. Spinal stenosis can be caused by a wide variety of conditions and diseases, as well as acute injury to the spine, but it is generally considered to be a higher risk for some patients who have a family history of spinal problems such as spondylosis, scoliosis, and degenerative disc disease. Where
spinal stenosis exists in several family members it is often wise to pay particular attention to back health throughout life as it is possible to inherit a predisposition for spinal stenosis and the problems, such as pinched nerves, that go along with the condition.
Continue reading “Is Spinal Stenosis Hereditary?” »
Not only can you exercise if you are diagnosed with spinal stenosis in the lower back – you absolutely should continue, as much as you are able, to maintain your daily workout regimen. The pain, tingling, numbness, and/or muscle weakness sometimes associated with stenosis, or a narrowing, of the spinal canal often can be combated more effectively by staying active than by getting off your feet for an extended period of time. In fact, prolonged rest, or a sedentary lifestyle, is one of the key risk factors for the development of spinal stenosis and other degenerative spine conditions. Continue reading “Spinal Stenosis in My Lower Back – Can I Still Do My Daily Workout?” »
Spinal stenosis in the neck (or cervical) region can produce pain, tingling, numbness, and muscle weakness and spasms in the neck, shoulders, upper back, arms, hands, and fingers. It also can cause recurring headaches. This stenosis, or narrowing, of the spinal canal results in symptoms when nerves in the area become compressed or “pinched.” The symptoms are typically treated using a targeted regimen of conservative methods. These methods can include pain medication, exercises, stretching, and corticosteroid injections. Continue reading “Alternative Treatments for Spinal Stenosis in the Neck” »
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