Spinal stenosis is often a condition that is caused by the changes that occur from arthritis.
Spinal stenosis refers to a narrowing of the space around the nerve that exits from the spinal cord. This decrease in space causes compression to the nerve. The stenosis can occur at the spinal nerve level or at the spinal cord level.
What are the signs and symptoms associated with Spinal Stenosis?
This pressure on the nerve can cause pain, weakness and incoordination, muscle changes, and sensory changes (such as numbness and tingling). The numbness can occur in the back, neck, shoulders, or arms. It is worthy to note that with spinal stenosis in the neck, pain is not always present.
Arthritis of the cervical spine refers to changes in the bone and this can lead to spinal stenosis. Arthritic changes can be seen with the addition of bone spurs (outgrowths from the bones), decrease in disc space, deformation of the bone (jagged edges), calcification of spinal ligaments, and thickening of the joint tissue because of inflammation. All these arthritic changes can lead to spinal stenosis.
Additional Reading Resources
- Neck Pain Relief That Does Not Include Surgery
- The Causes of Severe Neck Pain Resulting from a Cervical Radiculopathy
- Treating Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Cervical Spine Naturally
- Neck Exercises for Chronic Neck Pain
- The Neck Pain Relief Kit
Stenosis is a serious problem, and can cause excruciating pain. Please try conservative therapies first before thinking about surgery. Out our clinic Spinal Decompression therapy has had great results with stenotic type patients.
I was diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, and five ruptured and torn discs to top it off … and I am only 19. Recently, I have been having a lot of pain and spasms in my lower back. It hurts to even walk. It stinks because I have to walk around hunched over life a caveman, and I tend to get picked on. My doctors have told me just to “suck it up, and deal with it.” I’ve also been told that I have “the back of an 80-year-old woman.” I’m really not looking forward to that if I am only 19.
I am a 63 yr. old grandmother in very good shape. I walked worked out at the gym. Semi-retired life was wonderful. In Aug. 2008 my neck pain started 24 hrs. a day. I wasn’t in an accident I just woke up one morning and there it was. I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, dgerative disc disease and arthritis in discs 1 through 7 on the left side of my neck . I tried everything to avoid surgery. Phy. therapy, neurological chiropractor, $4000. worth of pain management injections(I had co-pays). The pain kept getting worse. I was taking 16 advil a day because I take a reaction to pain meds. I finally found Dr. Jho at Allegheny General Hosp. He and his staff at the Jho Institute for minimally invasive surgery are fantastic. If I had it to do over I would have the surgery immediately. It was so simple and Dr. Jho is the best.
So bebee are u fully recovered? Im going thru the gamut too, chiro didnt keep neck pain away. I have unitedhealthcare insurance. I cant bike, use ipad lookng down or text…these must b stress positions. Bad headache last night. Neck aches daily now for three days. Heelpppp…..