Lumbar Spinal Stenosis - Degenerative Spine

Guide To Understanding Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

The lumbar spine is made up of the lower five vertebrae of the spine. The spinal canal helps to supply sensation and gives energy to the legs through the nerves. There are intervertebral discs and spinal facet joints between vertebrae. With age, the fluid content in the disc reduces, and it becomes less spongy. Hence, the disc height reduces and bulges into the spinal cord. The thick and enlarged bones and ligaments of the facet joints also push into the spinal canal. This leads to narrowing of lumbar spine and causes lumbar spinal stenosis.

Lumbar spinal stenosis occurs due to age factor and also because of regular wear and tear on the spine. It is usually found among the middle-aged and the elderly. People with narrow spinal canals are more prone to suffer from this problem.

The causes of this condition are:

* Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH)

* Hypertrophy of the facet joints

* Congenital spinal stenosis

* Pagets disease

* Growth of abnormal bone

* Osteoarthritis

* Spondylolisthesis

* Degenerative disc disease

* Congenital spinal stenosis

This disease is quite common with the people of age 50 years and above. It is common in both males and females.

Patients suffering from lumbar spinal stenosis have a medical history of the following:

* Pain in the back, legs or buttock.

* Low back pain.

* While standing or walking, patient's pain gets worse.

* Patient is comfortable while sitting or leaning forward on a shopping cart.

* Apart from leg pain, there might be severe weakness in one or both the legs.

There are multiple treatment options available that give relief from lumbar spinal stenosis. Some of these are general precautionary measures like exercising regularly to keep the muscles strong which supports the spine. One should keep in mind that weight gain can harm the lumbar spine. So weight gain must be avoided.

Patients suffering from lumbar spinal stenosis should not smoke. Smoking causes degeneration of spine at a much faster rate than normal.

Doctors go through each case and evaluate as how serious or normal the case is. Accordingly, a treatment is worked out. If the pain is mild and the disease is at its initial stage, it can be treated with the help of anti-inflammatories and painkillers.

Conservative methods of treatment like specific exercises recommended by doctors may provide relief but are not the permanent solutions for this problem. Alternative treatments in physical therapy like chiropracty, acupuncture, massage and prescribed exercises that consist of flexion may be a good option too.

If your lumbar spinal stenosis is very serious and you have weakness, surgery is the best way of getting treated. Nowadays, surgery is done through endoscopy rather than the traditional surgical methods.

Degenerative Spine