Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis happens when parts of your spinal canal become narrower. The spinal canal is a passageway that goes through the vertebrae in your spine and houses your spinal cord. When this space gets smaller, it puts pressure on the spinal cord and the nerves that branch out from it, known as nerve roots.

What are the symptoms of Spinal Stenosis? The symptoms may vary and depend on the location and severity of the spinal stenosis. You may feel the following symptoms in your neck, back, arms, legs, hands, or feet:

• Pain.
• Tingling.
• Weakness.
• Numbness.

Signs of lumbar spinal stenosis: People with lumbar (lower back) spinal stenosis may notice these symptoms:

• Discomfort in your lower back.
• Pain begins in the buttocks and runs down your leg. It might even reach your foot.
• A sluggish or heavy sensation in your legs- this could bring on cramps in one or both legs.
• Tingling or numbness that feels like "pins and needles" in your buttocks, legs, or feet.
• Pain that gets worse if you stand too long, walk, or go downhill.
• Pain that gets easier to manage when leaning forward, walking uphill, or sitting.

Signs of cervical spinal stenosis: You might notice symptoms of cervical spinal stenosis below where nerves in your neck are compressed. These signs include:

• Pain in the neck.
• Numbness or tingling in the arm, hand, leg, or foot.
• Trouble moving or a lack of strength in your arm, hand, leg, or foot.
• Problems with balance.
• Struggles with using your hands, like having trouble buttoning clothes or writing.

What are the causes of Spinal Stenosis? Spinal stenosis can happen for different reasons. Many injuries or changes to your spine can make the spinal canal narrower. These reasons fall into two big categories:

• Congenital (present at birth).
• Acquired (happens after birth).

Acquired spinal stenosis can happen because of:

• Bone overgrowth
• Bulging or herniated disks
• Thickened ligaments
• Spinal fractures and injuries
• Spinal cysts or tumours

Congenital causes of spinal stenosis Spinal stenosis can develop in babies and kids from birth. It may occur because of:

• Problems with how the spine forms in the womb.
• Inherited conditions that change how bones grow due to genetic mutations, which are changes in DNA.

Examples of congenital reasons for spinal stenosis include:

• Achondroplasia
• Spinal dysraphism
• Congenital kyphosis
• Congenital short pedicles
• Osteopetrosis
• Morquio syndrome
• Hereditary multiple exostoses (diaphyseal aclasis)

Diagnosis and Tests Doctors start by looking into your medical history and asking about what symptoms you are experiencing. They may perform a physical exam by checking your spine and pressing on areas to find out if you feel pain. To examine your spine and pinpoint the exact issue, doctors use imaging tests, which include:

• Spine X-ray
• MRI
• CT scan or CT myelogram

How is Spinal Stenosis treated? When symptoms are mild, your doctor might suggest starting with at-home care. At-home remedies to manage spinal stenosis are:

• Using heat: Heat often helps by boosting blood flow, which soothes muscles and calms sore joints.
• Using cold: If heat isn’t helping, switch to something cold like an ice pack, frozen gel, or even a bag of frozen peas. Keep it on for 20 minutes, then take it off for 20 minutes.
• Doing exercises: Exercise can help strengthen muscles to support your spine while improving flexibility and balance at the same time.

Nonsurgical care: People often use nonsurgical methods to control the symptoms of spinal stenosis. These methods include:

• Oral medicines
• Physical therapy
• Steroid injections

Surgery: Spinal stenosis is tricky, and the spine is a sensitive part of your body. Doctors look at surgery when other treatments fail to work. The good thing is most people with spinal stenosis don’t end up needing surgery.