Spine stenosis1/30/2024 ![]() ![]() Physical therapy and/or prescribed exercises to help stabilize the spine, build endurance and increase flexibility.Rest or restricted activity (this may vary depending on extent of nerve involvement).This pain relief may only be temporary and patients are usually not advised to get more than 3 injections per 6-month period. Corticosteroid injections (epidural steroids) can help reduce swelling and treat acute pain that radiates to the hips or down the leg.Medications, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to reduce swelling and pain, and analgesics to relieve pain.There are a number of ways a doctor can treat stenosis without surgery. A bone scan is usually performed along with other tests. A bone scan can detect fractures, tumors, infections, and arthritis, but may not tell one disorder from another. Bone scan – This test uses injected radioactive material that attaches itself to bone.A myelogram can show pressure on the spinal cord or nerves from herniated discs, bone spurs or tumors. Myelogram – a liquid dye is injected into the spinal column and appears white against bone on an x-ray film.Computerized axial tomography (CAT scan) – this test shows the shape and size of the spinal canal, its contents and structures surrounding it.MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) – this test gives a three-dimensional view of parts of the back and can show the spinal cord, nerve roots, and surrounding spaces, as well as enlargement, degeneration, tumors or infection.X-rays – these tests can show the structure of the vertebrae and the outlines of joints and can detect calcification.Tests: After examining you, Dr.Rao can use a variety of tests to look at the inside of the body.Dr.Rao will also look for loss of extremity reflexes, muscle weakness, sensory loss, or abnormal reflexes which may suggest spinal cord involvement. Physical Examination: Dr.Rao will then examine you by checking for any limitations of movement, problems with balance and signs of pain.Dr.Rao will also need to know how you have been treating these symptoms including what medications you have tried. History: Dr.Rao will begin by asking you to describe any symptoms are having and how the symptoms have changed over time.Paraplegia or significant loss of function is rare.īefore making a diagnosis of stenosis, it is important for Dr.Rao to check your: Severe cases of stenosis can also cause bladder and bowel problems. In severe cases, the pain can be constant. The pain may radiate like sciatica or may be a cramping pain. In some patients the pain starts in the legs and moves upward to the buttocks in other patients the pain begins higher in the body and moves downward. Cervical spinal stenosis may cause similar symptoms in the shoulders, arms, and legs hand clumsiness and gait and balance disturbances can also occur. In the lumbar spine, symptoms often increase when walking short distances and decrease when you sit, bend forward or lie down. Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis may feel pain, weakness, or numbness in the legs, calves or buttocks. When inflammation of the nerves occurs at the level of increased pressure problems may start. When these conditions occur in the spinal area, they can cause the spinal canal to narrow, creating pressure on the spinal nerve. Spondylolisthesis (slipping of one vertebra on another) also occurs and leads to compression. Bulging or herniated discs are also common. Bones and joints may also enlarge, and bone spurs (osteophytes) may form. As you get older, the ligaments of the spine can thicken and harden (calcification). There may be a genetic predisposition to this since only a minority of individuals develops advanced symptomatic changes. Stenosis is the gradual result of aging and “wear and tear” on the spine during everyday activities. Some patients are born with this narrowing, but most often spinal stenosis is seen in middle aged patients. While spinal stenosis can be found in any part of the spine, the lumbar and cervical areas are the most commonly affected. Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal, which places pressure on the spinal cord.
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