Stenosis of the Spine

Stenosis of the spine is the condition that occurs when an area or more in the spine such as the neck or the back is narrowing. This narrowing of the area can put pressure and trauma to the spine which can cause pain and lead to stenosis of the spine.

What are the symptoms of stenosis of the spine?

The symptoms of stenosis of the spine can occur primarily on the part of the spine in which the narrowing is happening. These are the following symptoms of this condition if it occurs in the neck:

1. Weakness or numbness: A stenosis of the spine in your neck or the cervical spine may cause weakness of numbness in your arms or hands and in your legs or feet. You may find it hard to hold things or if you hold things it might always fall.
2. Pain: Pain is the primary symptom of stenosis in the cervical spine or the neck. The pain that you feel may extend down to your shoulders. But, in most cases, a cervical stenosis does not cause pain; the reason for your pain might be another condition.
3. Losing of control with the bladder or bowel: If your case of cervical spinal stenosis is already severe, you might likely lose your control with your bladder and bowel movement.

If the stenosis of the spine occurs in the lower back or lumbar spine, these are the following symptoms to occur:

1. Pain: The pain that you feel when you have a lumbar stenosis starts from the lower back down to your hips and down to your legs.
2. Cramping: You may also have cramping in your legs, if you have a stenosis of the spine in the lumbar area. It may get worse when you walk.

What are the causes of stenosis of the spine?

Spinal stenosis can also be caused by other conditions and these are:

1. Osteoarthritis: As we grow older, the vertebra in our spine deteriorates. The body can restore that damage but may produce bone spurs that may cause the narrowing.
2. Disk degeneration: The disk degenerates when we grow older because the cushion between our vertebras flattens and a bulging disc may occur and this can lead to stenosis.
3. Thickened ligaments: The ligaments that hold the bone of the spine may thicken and stiffen over time and this can lead to narrowing the spinal canal which can result as stenosis.

There are still many causes of stenosis in the spinal cord. To know which the cause of yours is, you may have to go to the doctor. After you have been diagnosed, you may decide what kind of treatment you should get for it. These are the following treatment options for spinal stenosis:

1. Medications: You may get medications for your stenosis in the spine. The doctor may give you antidepressants, anti-seizures and opioid drugs.
2. Therapy: Exercises for spinal stenosis can also be helpful. You may hire a physical therapist to help you out with this.
3. Steroid injections: Steroid injections may also help in alleviating the inflammation and reducing the pain that the condition is giving you.
4. Surgery: Stenosis surgery might be very beneficial if all of the other treatments for it have not work to you. It should be your last option.

The treatments for stenosis of the spine may also be more effective if you combine it with lifestyle changes such as avoiding injuries, applying heat or ice to the affected area, and losing some extra pounds.