Stenosis

WHAT IS STENOSIS?

In the medical field, stenosis means the Abnormal Narrowing of a body channel. When combined with the word spinal, it defines a narrowing of the bone channel occupied by the spinal nerves or the spinal cord.

HOW DID I GET STENOSIS?

Some people are born with a congenital form, but most develop spinal stenosis as part of the degenerative cascade. A few do not feel any effects of the narrowing, but as part of the aging process, most people will eventually notice radiating pain, weakness, and/or numbness secondary to the compression of the nerves or spinal cord. While the narrowing may occur at different parts of the spine, the symptoms of nerve compression are often similar. That is why specialists often will perform testing (i.e. MRI) to determine the cause and location of the narrowing. A common symptom of stenosis is a worsening of back pain after walking. If you find yourself leaning forward for comfort and then resuming the walk, you might have spinal stenosis.

TREATMENT OPTIONS

As stated above, stenosis is a narrowing of the area around the spinal cord. Thus, the best for a treatment is anything that open up this channel. This can be done with Chiropractic Adjustments and also therapies that decrease inflammation. Our office has specialized equipment specifically geared towards treated stenosis related problems. Ice is the preferred home therapy as this will help decrease inflammation and help with muscle spasms. If spinal traction helps with the discomfort and pain, a home inversion table might be useful to speed recover and prevent a worsening on the condition.