What is spinal stenosis?
Spinal stenosis describes a narrowing of your spinal canal. This narrowing puts excess pressure on the nerves that run through your spinal cord and help transmit pain signals between the brain and the rest of the body.
Compression of your spinal nerves can cause debilitating pain and other symptoms that make it difficult to stay physically active. You can also experience pain, tingling, and numbness that radiate into your arms and down into your legs.
What causes spinal stenosis?
One of the primary causes of spinal stenosis is the natural aging process. Getting older causes degenerative changes in the spine that break down the bones and cause chronic inflammation. Developing conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or osteoporosis, can increase your risk for spinal stenosis.
Other factors that can trigger spinal stenosis include:
- Scoliosis
- Bone tumors
- Birth defects in the spine
Some people are genetically predisposed to having a narrow spinal column.
How is spinal stenosis diagnosed?
If chronic back pain or radiating numbness and tingling in your arms and legs becomes severe enough to interfere with your usual routine, it’s important that you schedule a diagnostic evaluation with Dr. Raso as soon as possible.
During your evaluation, Dr. Raso performs a physical exam of your spine, checking your range of motion and identifying the origin of your pain. He confirms spinal stenosis through X-rays or an MRI after evaluating the inner structures of your spine.
Based on the severity of your condition, Dr. Raso creates a treatment plan with the goal of relieving chronic pain and increasing your mobility.
What treatments are available for spinal stenosis?
Initially, Dr. Raso may prescribe oral medications or epidural steroid injections to ease your pain and address inflammation that compresses spinal nerves. He may also refer you for physical therapy to strengthen the muscles that support your spine and increase your flexibility.
In many cases, Dr. Raso will refer you for surgery to not only address pain but to prevent a worsening of your condition. As the spine continues to narrow, you can develop permanent nerve damage, and surgery may be necessary to reduce your risk for this complication.
There are several minimally invasive spine surgery techniques designed to widen the spinal canal and take the pressure off your nerves. A common procedure, known as a laminectomy, involves the removal of a portion of your spinal vertebrae to increase space in the spinal canal.
If you have pain and other symptoms of spinal stenosis, schedule a diagnostic evaluation with Dr. Raso today, online or by phone.
