Most people have good results from surgery and are able to return to a normal lifestyle after they heal. People tend to have less leg pain and can walk better afterward. However, surgery doesn't cure arthritis or other conditions that might have caused the spinal canal to narrow in the first place.
Success Rates of Lumbar Laminectomy for Spinal Stenosis. The success rate of a lumbar laminectomy to alleviate leg pain from spinal stenosis is generally favorable. Research suggests: 85% to 90% of lumbar central spinal stenosis patients find relief from leg pain after an open laminectomy surgery.
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.
Usually, our spine specialists consider surgery only if symptoms such as weakness, numbness, or pain in the arms or legs indicate severe or progressive nerve or spinal cord compression.
In most cases, a doctor will recommend nonsurgical treatments first. However, surgery might be considered immediately if the spinal stenosis has reached a serious stage. Examples of this are numbness or weakness that interferes with walking, impaired bowel or bladder function, or other neurological involvement.
Lumbar interspinous distraction decompression
The procedure is a type of keyhole surgery that a surgeon performs on a person under general anesthesia. One 2021 study reports a 5-year success rate of 68% for this procedure compared to a success rate of 56% for older decompression procedures.
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.
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.
Spinal stenosis symptoms tend to worsen the more you walk without treating it since the leading cause is a contraction of the spinal cord, which irritates the leg nerves. The irritation of the terms causes inflammation, and so this should be part of the treatment.
The nature of spinal surgery increases the risk of severe complications compared to other procedures. Spinal surgery happens at and around sensitive areas in the spine and spinal cord. The most significant risks you could face if an error occurs during surgery include paralysis or a spinal infection.
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.
“If back pain is interfering with quality of life, your ability to work or isn't responding to standard treatments, then surgery may be called for.”
A full recovery typically occurs between two and six months after cervical spinal stenosis surgery. This can depend, however, on whether you underwent a bone fusion. Recovery from a decompression alone is usually quicker than from a decompression with stabilization.
As there is no cure for spinal stenosis, early detection, and treatment of the root cause can provide significant pain relief and improve symptoms.
Years after a laminectomy, spinal stenosis can come back (the bone can grow back and narrow the spinal canal) at the same level, or a new level, causing back or leg pain.
A neurosurgeon may perform a laminectomy with or without fusing vertebrae or removing part of a disk. A spinal fusion with or without spinal instrumentation may be used to enhance fusion and support unstable areas of the spine.
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.
Contact sports like basketball, football, soccer, and martial arts are exercises to avoid with spinal stenosis. These activities can involve sudden trauma to the spine, which may lead to further injury. Activities that involve jumping, such as jumping rope, should be avoided with spinal stenosis.
This condition is called spinal stenosis. Degenerative changes of the spine are seen in up to 95% of people by the age of 50. Spinal stenosis most often occurs in adults over 60.
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. In severe cases, spinal stenosis may cause partial or complete leg paralysis that requires emergency medical treatment.
Stage 3 – Stabilization
Bone spurs continue to grow and can narrow the spinal canal, which presses onto the spinal cord or nerve roots. This condition, called spinal stenosis, triggers pressure that can cause limb pain, tingling, and numbness. During this stage, patients may find they lose control of the legs.
Symptoms are more likely to be present or get worse when you stand or walk. They often lessen or disappear when you sit down or lean forward. Most people with spinal stenosis cannot walk for a long period without having significant pain.
Many people with mild spinal stenosis find that nonsurgical treatments such as pain medication and physical therapy relieve symptoms and help them remain active. NYU Langone spine specialists work with experts in pain management, rehabilitation, and orthotics to create a treatment plan.
The two main surgical procedures to treat lumbar spinal stenosis are laminectomy and spinal fusion. Laminectomy: This procedure involves removal of the bone, bone spurs, and ligaments that compress the nerves. Spinal fusion: In this procedure, two or more vertebrae are permanently fused together.