What is Lumbar Spinal Stenosis?

spinal stenosis

A very painful ailment of the lower back can be caused by lumbar spinal stenosis. This occurs when the opening in the spinal canal narrows where the spinal cord and nerves pass through. Some people are born with this condition, sometimes it is congenital in origin, and others develop it when they are adults.

The main symptom of spinal stenosis is the compression of nerves. This can be quite painful and cause other problems too. Depending on where on the spine the narrowing is, it will determine where on the body you will have the other symptoms.

Having this condition in the cervical area (is called cervical spinal stenosis) will affect the nerves that are going to not only the neck but the arms too. This causes many problems for the shoulder, neck, and arms. Pain is just one of the symptoms you could also have weakness and even have problems with using your hands.

Lumbar spinal stenosis happens in the area of the lower back. This can cause pain in the legs and numbness too. These are the main symptoms of this condition but other symptoms do occur. Weakness can happen in the legs either one at a time or both. It is more likely that the symptoms usually only happen to one side.

This affliction can be caused by a variety of things. You can be born with it and it can be a congenital defect even. You can get injured in some way and it causes things like a herniated disc. Scoliosis also can cause this along with other types of inherited conditions. In some cases, being exposed to toxins such as insecticides can bring on abnormal growth in the bone, which can result in this narrowing. Other medical conditions can also cause bones to be abnormal too and even affect the vertebrae. Last but not least arthritis and other things like that come with age can cause the narrowing to happen.

Either type of spinal stenosis listed could go onto affect the spinal cord, which could affect your ability to walk right. It could also in many cases affect your coordination. So if you are exhibiting any of these symptoms it is imperative that you check into this.

Treatment for this type of problem varies from person to person. Some doctors will prescribe pain medication along with anti-inflammatory medicines to see if they will work at alleviating the symptoms. In the event this does not help or that your symptoms are too severe then there are surgical options available to widen the openings. These days this procedure can even be done endoscopically, which is faster to heal from.

If you think you have lumbar spinal stenosis, consult your doctor at once and find out for sure. There is no need to suffer in silence about this. Through treatment and or surgery, you can find relief.