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Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

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Role of the Spine

The spine plays a significant role in our body.  It has three main functions that are essential in allowing us to lead a full and healthy lifestyle.  The primary functions of the spine are providing support, protection and flexibility and mobility.  If an area of our spine is injured or damaged, the spine cannot function at its maximum capacity and our sense of enjoyment and freedom of movement can be debilitating and can affect both our professional and personal lives. 

The Lumbar Spine

One of the functions of the lumbar spine or the lower back, is to carry or support the upper body.  It is also where the nerves controlling the lower body are found. 

What is Lumbar Spinal Stenosis?

Now that the role of the spine and in particular, the lumbar spine, has been identified, it is important to understand the term stenosis.  Stenosis comes from Ancient Greek and is defined as:  an abnormal narrowing in a blood vessel or other tubular organ or structure. 

With lumbar spinal stenosis, the spinal canal becomes narrow.  This is mostly due to aging as well as degeneration in the spine.  The discs located between the vertebrae may become dehydrated, thus resulting in loss of density and no longer acting as a cushion between the bones. 

When lumbar stenosis occurs, the nerves become pinched. Symptoms of a pinched nerve may be inflammation of the nerve resulting in pain in the legs and/or buttock area. 

Who is Affected by Lumbar Stenosis?

Most often, patients affected by lumbar stenosis are usually in the 50 plus category.  As noted above, lumbar spinal stenosis is mainly due to aging, therefore those under 50 years of age, typically will not have had degeneration in the spine.  There are those who are born with a more narrow spinal canal, increasing the likelihood of developing this condition. 

Patients diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis usually are able to describe to their doctor that the history of pain has affected their back, legs and/or their buttock area.  This pain becomes worse over the years and prolonged periods of standing or longer walks typically result in weakness, heavy or tired legs as well as a tight and aching or throbbing pain.  When the patient is in a sitting position or leaning forward rather than upright, the pain is often relieved. 

Lumbar Stenosis and Treatment

The majority of patients suffering from lumbar spinal stenosis do not require surgery.  There are a number of treatments that have proven to be effective in offering both short and long term relief.

There are patients however, who are dealing with pain that is having a debilitating effect on their lifestyle, including work, personal and physical activity. 

Non-Surgical Treatment

Non-surgical treatment for lumbar stenosis may include:

• medications such as anti-inflammatory; steroid injection; ibuprofen
• physical therapy / chiropractor

It should be noted that these treatments will not correct the narrowing of the spinal canal.  They are administered to offer pain relief and provide a return to normal daily activities. 

Surgical Treatment

There are surgical procedures to correct lumbar spinal stenosis.  These procedures are offered through conservative surgery or minimally invasive surgeries. There are a number of benefits to having the minimally invasive surgery in comparison to conservative surgery and your doctor will be able to explain the pros and cons to each form of surgery as well as answer any questions you may have. 

Unfortunately, there are no conclusive lumbar stenosis surgical statistics available for specific procedures or surgeries performed.  What we do know is that the surgical statistics currently available in studies as well as surveys of both doctors and patients who have taken the time to respond, have shown that the success rate and return to normal lifestyle is high.  There are risks involved and long term affect of the surgery is not conclusive based on the surgical statistics available, however the consensus is for those who are experiencing significant pain, loss of mobility, debilitating effect on their lifestyle as well as little to no relief from non-surgical treatments, found surgery to be beneficial to them.  Click the link for other resources for spinal stenosis.