Do You Have Spinal Stenosis?

Spinal stenosis is a condition where there is narrowing of the spinal cord that causes pinched nerves, chronic pain in the buttocks, limping, and lack of feeling in the lower extremities. There will be bone spurs or thickening of the ligaments that go into the spinal canal which cause the spinal canal to narrow.

Symptoms

Not all people with this condition will have symptoms. When the spinal canal becomes too narrow and causes more pressure on the nerves, then they may feel the warning signs of spinal stenosis. You feel that you are not able to walk a considerable distance without your legs feeling heavy and even having pain.

Most people will only have the pain or cramping in their legs when they are standing. When in the seated position, this increases the space in the spinal canal which lessens the pressure on the nerves.

Some have radiating back and hip pain. It will start in the hip or back and travel down the leg causing either a minor annoyance or very debilitating pain.

If you happened to experience any numbness around your genitals or rectum and/or lose control of your bladder, then you need to seek a better spine surgeon in Chennai immediately.

You may also have neck and shoulder pain that could go into your arms and hands. Usually the spinal stenosis is in the cervical area when it's in the neck and shoulders.

Occasionally, there may be a loss of balance when the nerves that manage balance are compressed. When this happens, there is clumsiness and even falling.

Diagnosis

Your spine surgeon will get your medical history and complete a physical examination to see if you have spinal stenosis. The exam on your back will include the doctor pushing on certain areas to see if it causes pain or any unusual sensations. You will move forward, backward and side-to-side in the procedure.

Your spine doctor will probably have x-rays to see the positioning of the bones. This is a good way to see if you have spinal stenosis. Further testing with an MRI may be done to see soft tissues like discs, muscles, and nerves.

Treatment

If your case is mild enough, you may only need to lose weight and exercise for the ease of any mild pain. There is also the use of anti-inflammatory medicine, steroid injections, or even braces may be helpful in eliminating the spinal stenosis.

Some can use physical therapy to keep the spine strong and flexible.

You may need to have surgery to correct spinal stenosis such as decompressive laminectomy where the doctor removes the lamina (bone over the canal) to create more room for the spinal cord. This is done with a small incision in the back and therefore less recovery time.

Fusion is another surgery that may be done to correct spinal stenosis. The bones will be fused together. This will keep the area immobile and stop any slippage from occurring between the vertebrae.

Before getting surgery, make sure that this is the only option that will be the best fit for your situation with spinal stenosis.

Upper Back Pain: An Overview

Upper back pain is the pain between the lower back and the neck. Upper back is also called the thoracic back as this is part of the back where the ribs attach. Upper related back pain is the result of injury to the ligament or muscles attached to the vertebrae. 

It can be the result of poor posture, overuse, twisting motion, or an injury. The upper back is commonly injured while carrying objects, bending, throwing, or twisting. Moreover prolonged sitting at just one place can cause the muscles to tighten and become stiff resulting in back pain. Sometimes, vigorous, sneezing or coughing can also cause upper back pain.

The symptoms of pain in the upper back are muscles spasms or pain when you take a deep breath. Furthermore, it also pains when you move your shoulders or bend your neck forward. Your physician will diagnose upper back pain by reviewing your symptoms, history and by the examination of your back. 

Neurosurgeon in Chennai will then prescribe some therapy or medication to take care of you back pain. Ice packs are prescribed for early stage of back pain with spasms and patients are advised to apply this procedure for 20 to 30 minutes for 4 to 6 hours for a period of 2 to 3 days; this can be done with the help of crushed ice, a bag of frozen peas, and frozen gel pack.

Anti-inflammatory medicine, muscle relaxants, or other medicine can also help in upper back pain alleviation. Alternative therapies like massage and exercises can also help the back return to normal. The time taken to recover from this ailment can depend on the individual and your return to your daily routine will depend on how soon your back recovers, essentially the goal of rehabilitation is to safely return you to your normal activities, without comprising your injury.

All kind of strenuous activity must be avoided unless and until you have completely relieved from upper back pain and curtail your range of emotions until you are 100% fit. But, in the end prevention is better than cure, so you have to exercise and do proper stretching exercise before any work out. Take care while lifting heavy objects and also by taking frequent breaks to stretch your back.

Back Pain Relief? - Should You Have Back Surgery?

Back pain can range from a dull constant ache to a sudden very sharp pain or back muscle pain that will make it difficult for you to move around. It can start up immediately after you fall or try to lift something that is too heavy for you or it can slowly get worse.

If you're having back pain, whether upper back pain, mid back or lower back pain, lumbar spasms, sciatica or spine discomfort and it has become chronic, you may be thinking that your best option is back surgery. Chronic means usually more than three months of pain. Acute would be less than three months

The biggest question for your doctor will be should he operate or not! Statistics show that of the 65% to 70% of back pain patients who undergo surgery only 50% show improvement.

There are dozens of different types of back surgery. One reason your doctor or back surgeon may be reluctant is he may not always be able to find the source of your pain or know the cause, even knowing the symptoms you're having, in order to make a diagnosis.

Secondly spine surgeons today are encouraging patients to find other means of relieving their pain since so many back surgeries are not successful. In many cases, there is more pain or the same pain. Sometimes back pain patients have to go in for more surgery, sometimes to correct the previous surgery.

As you can see, doctors are becoming more reluctant to operate on patients with back pain and want them to seek other back pain treatment options. It doesn't matter if it's lumbar or lower back pain or not. Many doctors would rather have their patients build up the muscles that support the spine as one option.

If you have a ruptured, herniated, bulging, degenerative or damaged disc you may not even know it. Some damaged discs may not show any pain.

Slipped disc is an incorrect term. There is no such thing as a slipped disc. It's often referred to as slipped when it's really a ruptured disc. Discs can't slip.

For back pain, back pain specialist doctors say you may even get better after treating it with rest, ice, exercise and other treatment and therapy options.

If you have acute back pain that lasts more than 72 hours though, you should see your pain doctor. If there is a nerve injury involved, that may be corrected without surgery too. If you can, try to avoid prescription pain medications or pain relievers, which have their own risks and side effects, and focus on natural treatments.

So if you're experiencing back pain or lower back pain now talk to your doctor about how to treat it and try non-surgical treatments for pain control before you even think about surgical solutions. They may not work. Controlling pain through pain management clinics may also be an option if you're having severe pain. There are many other natural and little-known methods for treating back pain successfully too.