Spinal Stenosis

Your spine, or backbone, protects your spinal cord and allows you to stand and bend. Spinal stenosis causes narrowing in your spine. The narrowing can occur at the center of your spine, in the canals branching off your spine and/or between the vertebrae, the bones of the spine. The narrowing puts pressure on your nerves and spinal cord and can cause pain.

Spinal stenosis occurs mostly in people older than 50. Younger people with a spine injury or a narrow spinal canal are also at risk. Diseases such as arthritis and scoliosis can cause spinal stenosis, too. Symptoms might appear gradually or not at all. They include pain in your neck or back, numbness, weakness or pain in your arms or legs, and foot problems. Treatments include medications, physical therapy, braces and surgery.

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Spinal Stenosis on Wikipedia

'''Spinal stenosis''' is a medicine condition where the spinal canal narrows and pinches the spinal cord and nerves, usually due to disc herniation or a tumour. This may affect the cervical vertebrae, the lumbar vertebrae or both, and results in low back pain as well as pain or abnormal sensations in the legs.

Cervical spine stenosis

The main causes of '''cervical spine (CS) stenosis''' include cervical spondylosis, diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), or calcium of the posterior longitudinal ligament. CS stenosis is more common in males than females, and is mainly found in the 40-60 year age group. Sign (medicine)s of CS stenosis include spastic gait; upper extremity numbness; upper extremity, lower extremity weakness or both; radicular pain in the upper limb; sphincter disturbances; muscle wasting; sensory deficits; and reflex abnormalities in reflexes. The best diagnostic and investigative tool is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomograghy (CT) is not useful. If the problem is mild, treatment may be as simple as physiotherapy and the use of a cervical collar. If severe, treatments include laminectomy or decompression.

Lumbar spine stenosis

The main causes of '''lumbar spine (LS) stenosis''' include hypertrophy of the facet joints; spondylolisthesis; diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH); and degenerative disc disease. Usually, this condition occurs after the age of 50, and both genders are equally affected. Signs of LS stenosis include neurogenic claudication, weakness, and loss of deep tendon reflexes. As with CS stenosis, MRI is the best imaging procedure, though unlike with CS stenosis, CT may be somewhat useful, and can be used if MRI is unavailable. Treatment includes weight loss, and use of a walker to promote a certain ... [ Read More ]

External Resources

Back Surgery Better For Severe Sciatica And Spinal Stenosis - Brief report on surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Sciatica Exercises - Reviews and illustrations of exercises for sciatica caused by herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis, or spinal stenosis. From Spine-Health.com

SpinalStenosis.org - Information, resources and links for physicians and their patients dealing with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis.

Fibromyalgia - Information about this disorder, including links to spinal stenosis, which may be a related and treatable problem.

Spine Institute of New York - Diagnostic and treatment services for back pain and spinal disorders including scoliosis, sciatica, spinal stenosis and herniated disc. Located in White Plains and New York.

South Florida Spine Clinic - Specializing in spine surgery for disorders of the spine including spinal stenosis and disc herniation. Located in East Fort Lauderdale

UMDNJ Interventional Neuroradiology - Minimally invasive endovascular therapies are available for the treatment of vascular disorders that involve the brain and the spinal cord, including brain aneurysms, AVMs, tumors, carotid stenosis and stroke at UMDNJ. (Newark, New Jersey)

The Physicians - Routinely treats disorders such as back and neck pain, Radiculopathy, and Spinal stenosis.

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