Spinal Stenosis

Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis is a term commonly used to describe a narrowing of a portion of the spinal canal. Stenosis can occur in all areas of the spine, but it is most common in the cervical and lumbar spine. There can often be narrowing of most of the lumbar spinal canal and of several segments of the cervical spine. Each behaves somewhat differently.

Although there is some space between the spinal cord and the edges of the spinal canal, this space can be reduced by many conditions. Bone and tough ligaments surround the spinal canal. This tube cannot expand if the spinal cord or nerves require more space. If anything begins to narrow the spinal canal, the risk of irritation and injury of the spinal cord or nerves increases. Some conditions that can lead to narrowing of the spinal canal include: infection, tumors, trauma, herniated disc, arthritis, thickening of ligaments, growth of bone spurs, and disc degeneration.

Spinal stenosis usually occurs in older people after years of wear and tear or degeneration of the spine. This wear and tear results in changes in the structures around the spinal canal, such as thickening of the large ligaments that connect the vertebra together, bone spurs around the facet joints and disc space, and bulging of the discs themselves. All of these changes push into the spinal canal, making the tube of the spinal canal smaller. Eventually, there is not enough space in the spinal canal for the nerve to comfortably fit without causing too much pressure. Stenosis can also develop because of injuries, infections, or tumors. Some people even have a narrow spinal canal from birth, and this abnormality leads to symptoms of stenosis.

The narrowing of the spinal canal can lead to irritation of the nerves of the spine. This can cause pain and problems with the nerves not working right. The lack of space can also cause the supply of blood and oxygen to the spinal cord to be reduced. When the spine needs more blood flow during increased activity, the blood vessels may not be able to swell to get more blood to the spine. This can lead to numbness and pain in the affected nerves. The nerves also lose some of their mobility when the space available to them is reduced. This leads to irritation and inflammation of the nerves.

Other symptoms of spinal stenosis include: a sensation of heaviness, weakness, and pain when walking or standing for a long period. With rest, these symptoms often disappear. These symptoms occur because the nerve roots are being tampered with, upsetting the normal signals that travel from the brain to the body. Irritation of the nerves in the spinal canal is worse when with standing or walking because of the mechanical compression and stretching of the nerves.