5 Important Facts About Spinal Stenosis

Your spinal column runs the length of your back, keeping your skeleton upright and housing many of your major nerves. When something goes wrong with this part of your physical structure, you experience problems like persistent back pain, neck pain, or referred pain in your limbs. You may also suffer from related muscle weakness or loss of full range of motion.

Symptoms of spinal problems can seem mysterious until you know more about the underlying cause and your spinal condition. Board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Beejal Y. Amin diagnoses and treats spinal conditions from his Hinsdale and Woodridge, Illinois, offices.

In this blog, he provides you with more information about spinal stenosis, a relatively common spinal condition.

1. Spinal stenosis means spinal narrowing

In an ideal, healthy state, your spine includes enough space to keep spinal bones and spinal nerves from interacting in the wrong ways. However, if you develop spinal stenosis, the long, thin space of your spinal column narrows.

At a certain point, there isn’t enough room left for every part of your physiology that needs to pass through the spinal canal, which leads to incorrectly placed pressure in the area and troublesome symptoms.

2. Another spinal issue can cause spinal stenosis

What causes spinal narrowing? Often, spinal stenosis results from another structural issue in or around your spine. For example, a herniated spinal disc may expel its soft gel interior substance into the spinal canal. Spinal discs can also bulge outward. If your spinal bones slip forward, medically known as spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis can result, as well.

Living with a spinal condition like scoliosis increases your risk of developing stenosis. You’re more likely to suffer from stenosis as you age. Conditions like osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease also raise your risk of stenosis.

3. Spinal stenosis can cause additional spinal issues

Since the parts of your spine are so interconnected, spinal stenosis may lead to additional spinal issues. Radiculopathy, or pinched spinal nerves, often results from spinal stenosis. Symptoms such as pain, numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness make it a challenge for you to complete daily life activities. You could even find yourself suffering from disruptive muscle spasms or losing your ability to walk.

4. Stenosis does not always produce symptoms

You’re likely to experience back or neck pain, depending on the location of your spine where narrowing has taken place. However, some people with spinal stenosis don’t notice symptoms right away or at all.

5. Spinal stenosis responds well to treatment

Dr. Amin offers a range of treatment options for spinal stenosis. Whenever possible, he recommends starting with conservative approaches such as rest, gentle stretching, and physical therapy. 

You may benefit from taking anti-inflammatory medication or muscle relaxants. Pain injections like epidural steroid injections and nerve blocks can help Dr. Amin learn more about the affected area of your spine, giving you symptom relief at the same time.

If your spinal stenosis requires surgery, Dr. Amin performs decompression surgery. Using minimally invasive spinal surgery (MISS) techniques, he removes the cause of your spinal narrowing. He may need to remove thickened ligaments, bone material, or bone spurs and can also surgically treat problematic spinal discs.

If you’re experiencing back pain without a clear cause, it could be related to your spine. Reach out to Dr. Amin to get checked for spinal stenosis and other spinal health issues and find out if treatment could improve your symptoms. Schedule your initial consultation appointment by calling Beejal Y. Amin, MD, or booking online today.