Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Can Cause Problems
There are many different reasons for a person to suffer from pain in the back, or neck pain, or shoulder pain, but one of the more common reasons is what is known as lumbar spinal stenosis. The reason that this causes pain is that the spinal canal will begin to narrow with age, or sometimes due to the fact that the person has been injured. Once the spinal canal begins to suffer from age it will usually suffer from excessive pressure and this can lead to disc degeneration and the pains that the sufferer knows too well. When the stenosis is in the lower part of the back, it is usually called lumbar stenosis, while when the problem is in the upper back, or the upper part of the spinal cord it is simply referred to as cervical stenosis. These are the two main types, though there are other variations of degenerative disc problems, the umbrella term for many of these conditions, and these include thoracic spine stenosis, cervical stenosis, and lumbar stenosis problems. When a person suffers from lumbar spinal stenosis, you will find that the problems in the low back can sometimes affect the neck region as well, something which is due to the fact that the spinal canal has become narrowed and is therefore suffering from pressure. When the vertebrae, which will run from the top of the spinal column all the way down to the bottom, begin to suffer from pressure the spinal nerves will begin to suffer as well and this will lead to the pain, either in the lower back or anywhere from the neck right down to the fingers, in which case a person will sometimes suffer from tingling or other strange feelings. Other symptoms can also be neck pain and sometimes pain in the legs, which can affect a person's ability to walk. Due to the fact that spinal pressure can sometimes make for problems with a person's bladder.
As with most types of back problems the symptoms for lumbar spinal stenosis are very similar to other types of degenerative disc disease and the diagnosis and treatment is often following the same path. The only difference is that some types of lumbar spinal stenosis will affect various parts of the body with pain compared with other types of disk problem. Due to the fact that the spine ligaments get harder as we grow older, and due to the fact that the water in the spine will become dry, it can be a case that there is a formation of extra bone or hard growth on the spine. This is what makes the pressure and which causes the problems, and depending on the person's personal circumstances there will be various symptoms which can be anything from severe pain in the back to a fairly benign pain which can be controlled. However even if the pain is not particularly powerful it is usually worthwhile going to a doctor to get a spinal examination and to make sure that the problem is not worsening. Sometimes the pain can become regular, but when a person has extremely bad lumbar spinal stenosis they will usually be aching constantly in the arms and legs which will seriously affect a person's day to day activities. When a person goes for an examination to have lumbar spinal stenosis diagnosed properly the physician will usually make sure that he knows everything about the history of the patient including the type of work he or she has done and any previous spinal problems. The test that will be undergone will use x-rays, and CAT scans, and sometimes even MRI scans in order to get the maximum amount of information about the spinal problem. At first, it may be a case of simply undergoing therapy, such as exercise, or having a course of anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroid injections. If these are not successful in alleviating the pain then it may be the case that the patient will have to undergo some kind of lumbar spinal stenosis surgery such as a laminotomy or spine fusion in order to make sure that the problem is treated effectively. |