If you have lumbar spinal stenosis, you may have trouble walking distances or find that you need to lean forward to relieve pressure on your lower back. You may also have pain or numbness in your legs.
Exercises which flex, stretch or strengthen the back and neck can help to open up the spine, alleviating compression symptoms. Canes and walkers can also be used to walk in a forward flexed manner and provide some stability.
These nerves send and receive messages to and from your pelvic area and legs. Stenosis of your spinal canal interrupts these messages. As a result, lumbar spinal stenosis can cause walking problems. If you have lumbar spinal stenosis, you may notice symptoms while walking or standing.
One of the ways that spinal stenosis can affect you if it is lower down in your back (the lumbar region) is in the way you walk. Since the lumbar region contains nerves that spread into your hips and legs, it can cause pain, numbness and other challenges that make it difficult to walk.
If your stenosis symptoms don't respond to home remedies or conservative treatment, or if the condition is so painful or debilitating that it affects your daily life, then you likely have severe spinal stenosis.
Walking, standing, or extending the lumbar area of the spine can cause symptoms to worsen. Sitting or flexing the lower back or neck may relieve symptoms. The flexed position “opens up” the spinal column, enlarging the spaces between vertebrae at the back of the spine.
Disability: In severe cases of spinal stenosis, a patient can end up permanently disabled. This may be through paralysis, or weakness so severe that it is impossible to stand and move as normal. It is not unreasonable to expect severe stenosis to lead to a person being bound to a wheelchair.
If your spinal stenosis is pinching your sciatic nerve – a nerve that originates in your lower (lumbar) spine – you might feel pain or have numbness, tingling or muscle weakness along this nerve's pathway from your lower back, down your leg to your foot. This condition is known as sciatica.
If you have lumbar spinal stenosis, you may have trouble walking distances or find that you need to lean forward to relieve pressure on your lower back. You may also have pain or numbness in your legs. In more severe cases, you may have difficulty controlling your bowel and bladder.
In spinal stenosis, people typically experience less pain with leaning forward, and especially with sitting. Studies of the lumbar spine show that leaning forward can increase the space available for the nerves. Pain is usually made worse by standing up straight and walking.
Stem cell therapy involves taking samples of a person's healthy cells, isolating them, and injecting them into the required area. According to a 2021 review, stem cell therapy shows encouraging results for treating conditions such as spinal stenosis.
Spinal stenosis symptoms may start slowly and worsen over time. Leg pain may become so severe that walking short distances is unbearable. People with spinal stenosis may experience numbness, weakness or cramping in legs, pain going down the leg, abnormal bowel or bladder function, and loss of sexual function.
Spinal stenosis is generally not progressive. The pain tends to come and go, but it usually does not progress with time. The natural history with spinal stenosis, in the majority of patients, is that of episodic periods of pain and dysfunction.
Pain from spinal stenosis may flare up whenever the spinal nerves are compressed or irritated, such as when you stand or walk for long periods. Generally, spinal stenosis isn't progressive, meaning that it doesn't gradually worsen over time.
Most patients with cervical or lumbar spinal stenosis respond well to non-surgical treatments (such as medication), so you may not need spine surgery. However, there are situations when you may want to go ahead with spine surgery.
Grade 1: Mild lumbar stenosis with visible separation of the cauda equina. Grade 2: Moderate lumbar stenosis with some aggregation of the cauda equina so that they can't be visibly separated. Grade 3: Severe lumbar stenosis with no separation of the cauda equina.
Acetaminophen (eg, Tylenol), aspirin, ibuprofen (eg, Motrin, Advil), and naproxen (eg, Aleve) are examples of OTC analgesics that your doctor may recommend for spinal stenosis.
As a result, climbing stairs reduces the amount of space in the spinal canal. This temporarily exacerbates the effects of spinal stenosis, potentially leading to worsened pain and other symptoms. If you've been diagnosed with spinal stenosis, it's wise to keep climbing stairs to a minimum.
Spinal stenosis can't be cured but responds to treatment.
Hennenhoefer says you can live a normal life with a spinal stenosis diagnosis and can work on improving your mobility and comfort. "Unfortunately, nothing can stop the progression of spinal stenosis, since it is due to daily wear and tear," said Dr.
Spinal stenosis happens when the spaces in the spine narrow and create pressure on the spinal cord and nerve roots. The narrowing usually occurs over time. Depending on the location of the spinal stenosis, symptoms can include pain, numbness, and weakness in your legs, feet, arms, and hands.
Cervical spinal stenosis may cause mild to moderate burning or shock-like pain in the neck, shoulder, and/or arms. Abnormal sensations, such as tingling, crawling, and/or numbness may be felt in both hands.
Stenosis is considered severe when it causes loss of certain functions or disabilities, or when other treatment options have failed to relieve symptoms. You should consult an expert neurosurgeon to assess your symptoms.