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Non-Surgical Management and Treatment of Spinal Stenosis

What is Spinal Stenosis?

Spinal Stenosis is a common and disabling disorder occurring most commonly after age fifty, but can certainly be present in younger individuals. Spinal Stenosis is a condition which involves a narrowing of the spinal canal and subsequently the spinal cord and the spine nerves. The spinal canal is made from an opening in the back of each vertebra. Twenty four moveable vertebrae align from the skull to the pelvis in such a way that they create a tunnel to house the spinal cord and spinal nerve roots.

How does Spinal Stenosis Occur?

The narrowing of the spinal canal occurs most commonly from degeneration associated with abnormal posture and misalignment of the spine over time. Additionally, injuries to the spinal disc (spinal discs are the cushions in between each of the vertebra) can create what is called a herniation. The herniation or movement of the disc backward into the spinal canal decreases the size of the spinal canal and can over time lead to spinal cord and spinal nerve compression.

Symptoms Associated with Spinal Stenosis

Pain is the most common symptom associated with Spinal Stenosis. Abnormal sensation is also common in the legs, thighs, feet or buttocks. This abnormal sensation may be numbness, tingling or both. Sometimes muscle weakness is associated with Spinal Stenosis. In severe cases of Spinal Stenosis loss of bowel or bladder control may be present.

One of the hallmarks of Lumbar or Low Back Spinal Stenosis is a presentation called Neurogenic Claudication where the patient develops low back and/or leg pain after a period of walking. As the walking progresses, the pain or dysfunction worsens only being improved or resolved when walking ceases or the patient sits or flexes the lumbar spine.

Treatment of Spinal Stenosis at Monmouth Spine and Rehabilitation Center

According to the medical literature treatment should attempt to mobilize the areas of the spine involved and work to decompress irritated and compressed nerve roots ¹. The goal of treatment with Spinal Stenosis is to release entrapped nerve roots and restore vascular function to the individual. At Monmouth Spine and Rehabilitation Center, our highly trained team of licensed medical and rehabilitation professionals take a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of Spinal Stenosis. Results of studies in the medical literature suggest that the combination of spinal decompression traction with spinal manipulation and neural mobilization create long term lasting relief.

The rehabilitative approach to Spinal Stenosis utilized by Monmouth Spine and Rehabilitation Center is proven to be safe and effective in the treatment and prevention of Spinal Stenosis.

Contact us for a complimentary consultation with one of our physicians to see if you are a candidate for treatment for Spinal Stenosis.

1- A non-surgical approach to the management of lumbar spinal stenosis: A prospective observational cohort study. BMC (BioMed Central) Musculoskeletal Disorders, Volume 7, February 2006.