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.