If you live with spinal stenosis, you should know that this is a common problem seen in up to 95% of people by the time they reach age 50. It’s possible to have this spinal problem without any symptoms. But when symptoms arise, they can include:
Despite this, there’s good news to share: There are treatments that can help, whether your symptoms are mild or severe. Dr. Arien Smith at Brain and Spine Institute of New York and New Jersey specializes in spinal conditions, including spinal stenosis. If you have spinal stenosis symptoms, here’s how he can help.
It’s easy to think of the spine as a rod of bone. However, the spinal column is formed by 33 individual bones, or vertebrae, the lowest ones fused together. Each vertebra is stacked on top of the next, forming the spinal column, and a hollow channel runs down the center.
This space contains your spinal cord that passes from your skull to your lower back, with 31 pairs of nerves branching out through small openings between the vertebrae. When you have spinal stenosis, spaces within your spine become narrow, compressing your spinal cord or the nerves branching out to the rest of your body.
This constriction and irritation trigger the symptoms seen with spinal stenosis. It’s also why they typically worsen when you stand or walk and improve while leaning slightly forward, sitting, or lying down.
Spinal stenosis can occur at any age, but it’s seen most frequently in people over 50 because of age-related wear on the spine. Additional causes of spinal stenosis include:
Congenital conditions, like having a small spinal canal or deformity, also could be a factor.
Dr. Smith offers three different treatment strategies, recommending the appropriate approach depending on the severity of your stenosis symptoms.
In many cases, you can relieve mild spinal stenosis symptoms with nonsurgical treatments, ranging from medications and targeted spinal injections to movement modification.
Physical therapy is also an important aspect of spinal stenosis management because movement and targeted exercises can help build up your strength and endurance, maintain or enhance your spinal flexibility, and improve your balance.
A decompression procedure could offer significant relief when your spinal stenosis symptoms develop because of a thickened ligament.
During this procedure, Dr. Smith makes a tiny incision to access and remove excess tissue to create more space in the spine. It doesn’t require general anesthesia or stitches, and you can usually go home within a few hours and start walking and doing physical therapy shortly thereafter.
Dr. Smith may suggest surgery for severe spinal stenosis symptoms, including debilitating pain and loss of function. There are different types of surgical interventions, depending on what’s causing your symptoms. They range from removing bone or soft tissue to inserting spacers between vertebrae to hold them farther apart.
Dr. Smith could also recommend spinal fusion, which permanently joins two vertebrae together to create more stability in that area of your spine.
Spinal surgery sometimes requires a short hospital stay and usually takes at least three months to fully recover. If you need surgery, you’re in the best hands with Dr. Smith, who specializes in minimally invasive procedures and robot-assisted surgery. These advanced approaches often come with fewer risks and faster recovery times.
If you have spinal stenosis symptoms, don’t wait to seek treatment. Contact the Brain and Spine Institute of New York and New Jersey nearest you to schedule a consultation with Dr. Smith today.
