Dr. Jayesh Pawar

Spinal stenosis is common because osteoarthritis begins to cause changes in most people’s spine by age 50. That's why most people who develop symptoms of spinal stenosis are 50 or older. Some people are also born with a spinal canal that may be narrower than other people's.

Besides osteoarthritis, other conditions or things can cause spinal stenosis:

• Narrow spinal canal
• Injury to the spine
• Spinal tumor
• Certain bone diseases
• Past surgery of the spine
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Herniated disc

• Back pain
• Burning pain going into the buttocks and down into the legs (sciatica)
• Numbness, tingling, cramping, or weakness in the legs
• Numbness, tingling, cramping, or weakness in the legs
• A weakness in a foot that causes the foot to slap down when walking. This is also called foot drop.
• Loss of sexual ability

Pressure on nerves in the lumbar region can also cause more serious symptoms known as cauda equina syndrome. If you have any of these symptoms, you need to get medical care right away:

• Loss of bowel or bladder control.
• Severe or increasing numbness between your legs, inner thighs, and back of the legs.
• Severe pain and weakness that spreads into one or both legs. This makes it hard to walk or get out of a chair.

and do a complete physical exam. During the physical exam, your provider will look for signs of spinal stenosis. These include loss of sensation, weakness, and abnormal reflexes.

These tests help make a diagnosis:

• X-rays of your lumbar spine: These may show bone growths called spurs that push on spinal nerves, a narrowing of the spinal canal, or both.
• Imaging tests: A CT scan or MRI scan can give a more detailed look at the spinal canal and nerve structures.
• Other studies: You may need a bone scan, a CT taken after injecting dye into the spinal canal (myelogram), nerve conduction studies, and electromyography, an electrical test of muscle activity.

surgeons, and physical therapists. Treatment can include physical therapy, medicine, and sometimes surgery. Except in emergencies, such as cauda equina syndrome, surgery is often the last resort.

• Physical therapy: May include exercises to strengthen your back, stomach, and leg muscles. Learning how to do activities safely, using braces to support your back, stretching, and massage may also be helpful.
• Medicines: May include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that relieve pain and swelling, and steroid injections that reduce swelling. Medicines that treat nerve pain or muscle spasm may also be helpful.
• Surgery: Includes removing bone spurs and widening the space between vertebrae (laminectomy). The lower back may also be stabilized by fusing together some of the vertebrae. In some cases, fusion is used along with decompression. Decompression is easing the pressure on the nerves.