Spinal Stenosis
What is Spinal Stenosis?
Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal column that causes pressure on the spinal cord, or a narrowing of the openings where spinal nerves leave the spinal column.
Spinal stenosis usually occurs as a person ages and the disks become drier and start to shrink. At the same time, the bones and ligaments of the spine swell or grow larger due to arthritis or long-term swelling (inflammation).
Spinal stenosis may also be caused by:
- Arthritis of the spine, usually in middle-aged or elderly people
- Bone diseases
- Defect or growth in the spine that was present from birth (congenital defect)
- Herniated or slipped disk
- Injury that causes pressure on the nerve roots or the spinal cord
- Tumors in the spine
Often, symptoms will get worse slowly over time. Most often, symptoms will be on one side of the body or the other. These symptoms include:
- Numbness, cramping, or pain in the back, buttocks, thighs, or calves
- Tightness and pain in the neck, shoulders, or arms
- Weakness of part of a leg or arm
Symptoms are more likely to be present or get worse when a person stands or walks. They will often lessen or disappear when a person sits down or leans forward. Most people with spinal stenosis cannot walk for a long period of time.
Who is Affected?
The average age of the onset of spinal stenosis typically is 60, and men are affected twice as often as women.
What are Options for Treatment?
At the Magaziner Center for Wellness, we rebuild and restructure the damaged joints using innovative regenerative joint therapies. These include prolotherapy, platelet rich plasma (PRP), stem cell therapy and biopuncture. These techniques help stabilize the joints, which is imperative as unstable joints can lead to – or further exacerbate – the arthritis that causes spinal stenosis. Additionally, by stabilizing the joint with these natural procedures, we reduce the symptoms and treat the underlying disease. In fact, we have successfully treated patients who were previously told that they would never be pain free without spinal fusion – and they’ve been pain free for a decade or more!
In fact, the Center’s own Dr. Greenberg developed one of the most innovative uses for prolotherapy – the correction of a pelvic tilt or functional leg length discrepancy. This disorder produces uneven forces across the joint, thus contributing to its damage. Using prolotherapy, we immediately correct this tilt and help promote the overall healing process.
We also work with our patients to help them identify appropriate physical activity – especially stretching exercises – to help them improve their joint function, while helping them manage the stress often associated with the pain associated with spinal stenosis.