Spinal Stenosis is a condition whose effects ranges from mild irritation to unbearable pain and sometimes it may lead to paralysis. This occur either in the cervical spine of the neck or in the lumbar spine in the back. The most common stenosis is the lumbar stenosis and about three fourth of all the cases occur in the lumbar spine. Usually stenosis includes the compression of the nerve roots that leaves the spinal canal. Depending on the location of compression, the spinal stenosis is of three types. They are Foraminal, Far Lateral and Central Stenosis.
Cervical stenosis is considered to be more dangerous than the stenosis that occurs in the lumbar spine. This is because of the dense bundles of nerves that are present in the upper spine, but ends in the upper portion of the lower back.
Thus, there are many symptoms of the spinal stenosis. They are,
- While walking or doing any other activities, it causes severe pain in the lower back.
- The pain is also felt at the time of sitting, lying down and bending forward.
- There is no control on the body movement.
This disorder can be treated in a number of ways. Usually, there are two types of treatments, either you can opt for natural treatments for cervical spinal stenosis and lumbar stenosis or you can have surgery.
Natural treatments
In order to strengthen the muscle that supports the spine is it is always prescribed to have light guided exercises. For example, forward bending is one of the exercises that are meant for lumbar stenosis. Similarly, isometric exercises are prescribed for the patients, those who are suffering from cervical stenosis. These exercises strengthen the neck muscles without stressing the joints.
Another treatment is the acupressure. This is the best treatment for relieving pain of many types. In this treatment, physical pressure is applied to the acupressure points for clearing blockage in these meridians. It provides relief from the pain for a short period of time.
Spinal Stenosis Surgery
Peoples with severe spinal stenosis are always recommended to have surgery. At the initial period of time you may be advised to have natural treatment, but if your pain continues, it is better to go for surgery. There are different types of these surgeries which are given below.
- Laminectomy and Laminotomy
In laminectomy, usually the lamina that causes the pain is removed by making an incision in the middle of the back. The lamina is nothing but the flat part of the bone which is connected to the vertebrae. Similarly, at the time of laminotomy, the part of the lamina is removed to take out the pressure off the nerve.
- Spinal Fusion Surgery
In this surgery usually the surgeons fuse two or more bones in your spine permanently. Spinal fusion that is performed in the neck is known as cervical fusion while the surgery that is performed in the back is known as lumbar fusion.
By fusing two or more bones together, the pain that is associated with spinal stenosis can be reduced.
- Minimally invasive spinal surgery
This surgery makes the use of smaller incisions and results in less blood loss at the time of surgery.
No doubt there are several types of surgeries, but it is always better to consult a doctor before going for it.
Spinal Stenosis Treatment 