What is lumbar spinal canal stenosi...

What is lumbar spinal canal stenosis?

Lumbar spinal canal stenosis is a narrowing in the space in the lower spine that carries braces to your legs. This space is self-same small. It gets even smaller if the bone and tissue around it increase It takes many years for this bone and tissue to grow

Arthritis, falls, accidents, and wear and tear onward the bones and joints in the spine also play a part in stenosis. As the lumbar spinal canal shrinks, the forces that go through it are squeez This squeezing may cause back pain, leg pain, and leg weakness. Many adults have this kind of stenosis.

by what means does my doctor know I have stenosis?

Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms. nation with stenosis usually have back pain greatest in number of the time. They also may have leg pain, numbnes or weakness. The leg pain and numbnes usually start when you stand up and begin to walk or exercise. The leg pain has been described as a burning or prickly feeling that may start in the buttocks and spread down to the feet when you start walking.

Your leg also might be excited cramped, tired, or weak. These are symptoms of a condition called neural claudication (say this: claw-dih-kay-shun) of the leg If you have lumbar canal stenosis, the neural leg claudication starts when you stand up prepares worse when you walk, and get by hearts better when you stop walking. oftentimes the leg pain gets better if you truckle or lie in a fetal position (on your sides with your knee lugginged up to your chest). It is contemplation that these positions "open" the lumbar canal and take the influence off the nerves that pass to the legs.

Leg claudication starts slowly if it were not that gets worse after a while. The leg pain begins slowly and procures worse with activity.

Although your doctor can probably relate if you have claudication just through asking you certain questions, sometimes special proofs and x-rays of the spine are needed

Is this the same as a ruptur disc?

No. Lumbar canal stenosis is not the same as a ruptur disc. A ruptur (herniated) disc usually pinches individual or two nerves at a time. The pain caused according to a pinched nerve in the lumbar spine usually is easy to diagnose. This pain has a special name: sciatica. Sciatica (say this: sigh-attic-ah) usually causes back pain that propels down one leg. This pain can happen any time, not just when you stand up or start walking.

What can I do for the pain and numbness?

one time you know you have lumbar canal stenosis or claudication, you have several choices for treatment, depending forward how bad your symptoms are. If your pain is mild and you have not had it protracted you can try an exercise program or a physical therapy program to strengthen your back muscles and improve your position Your doctor also may prescribe medicine for inflammation (soreness and swelling) in your spine.

If you have sharp back pain and claudication, you may ne to view a spine surgeon. This doctor may commend surgery to take the constraining force off the nerves in your lower spine. The surgery is called a laminectomy (say: lam-in-ek-toe-me) because parts of your spine called the lamina are taken disclosed to make room for the hardihoods in the spinal canal. This surgery works well for many people

COPYRIGHT 2003 American Academy of Family Physicians

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