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Many individuals experience Back pain. When the area around the spinal cord lessens, the pressure placed on the nerves and spinal cord causes numbness, leg weakness and pain. When it affects the lower back, it is called lumbar spinal stenosis.

By the time most individuals are 50 years old, degenerative problems can be seen in the spine with spinal stenosis occurring quite often after the age of 60. Although the problem affects both men and women, women tend to have symptoms that need treatment. A small number of individuals, mostly men, are born with back problems that eventually result in spinal stenosis. Symptoms for congenital problems often occur between the ages of 30 and 50.

What Causes Lumbar Spinal Stenosis?

Arthritis is when any joint in the body degenerates. Arthritis is the number one cause of spinal stensosis. As disks in the back degenerate, they lose water. This causes them to weaken. Weak disks can settle or completely collapse. This problem creates less space for the nerves. In response to the arthritis, the ligaments in the lower back can also increase in size. In addition, bone spurs can also narrow the opening. When the space for the nerves grows too small, the result is lumbar spinal stenosis.

What are the Symptoms?

People with spinal stenosis do not always have pain. It depends on the degree of arthritis they have. While pain is always an indicator that the individual should see a physician, there are also other signs and symptoms that indicate the possibility of lower back problems:

  • pain relief when sitting down or leaning forward
  • burning in the legs or buttocks
  • tingling sensation or numbness in the legs or buttocks
  • leg weakness
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Treatments

Nonsurgical methods of treating spinal stenosis include reducing or relieving the pain and restoring back function. This may include physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications or steroid injections such as cortisone. Many individuals have also found relief with chiropractic care. Although surgery is sometimes an option, it is always reserved for those who cannot regain a descent quality of life with nonsurgical methods.

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Related Questions

Would there be any websites that could happen to help me find lumbar spinal stenosis?

By "find it" if you mean finding causes, symptoms and treatments on it, you should visit webMD.com for general information. If you want to see if you have any of the symptoms, check this website: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00329.


What are some symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis?

Symptoms of lumbar spinal Stenosis include numbness, weakness, cramping, or pain in the legs, feet, or buttock; stiffness in legs and thighs; low back pain. In severe cases, loss of bladder and bowel control. Answer Pain, numbness, weakness or tingling in the arms/hands and the legs may indicate cervical spinal stenosis. Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis experience the same symptoms but limited to the lower back, legs, and feet.


Is lumbar stenosis a cancer How can it be cured?

Lumbar stenosis is arthritis of the spinal cord which can cause severe back pain. It causes the spinal cord cavity to narrow and to put pressure on the nerves.


Is lumbar spinal stenosis a form of spinal cancer?

Lumbar spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the back bone. This is a form of arthritis due to getting older. The bone in your back will curve which causes pain.


Is lumbar spinal stenosis less severe than cervical spinal stenosis?

The difference between lumbar spinal stenosis and cervical spinal stenosis is mainly the location of the problem. however, between the two lumbar spinal stenosis is the more severe form of stenosis.


What is lumbar stenosis?

It is horrible. Your back never stops hurting and it causes your knees and ankles to hurt also. Answer Pain, numbness, weakness or tingling in the arms/hands and the legs may indicate cervical spinal stenosis. Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis experience the same symptoms but limited to the lower back, legs, and feet.


Symptoms, Causes and Treatment of Lumbar Stenosis?

Lumbar stenosis is a condition that occurs when the spinal canal becomes narrowed. The lumbar area is within the lower back and as a result of this narrowing, significant pressure is placed on the spinal cord and nerves become compressed. The following outlines the symptoms of lumbar stenosis, its causes and treatment methods.SymptomsThe symptoms of lumbar stenosis occur due to nerve compression. Lower back pain that spreads to the legs is the main symptom of lumbar stenosis. Leg pain intensifies with walking and often dissipates when the individual is sitting down or leaning forward. Pain in the legs is often accompanied by tingling, weakness and numbness.CausesLumbar stenosis is caused by changes in the spine that occur as a result of aging and osteoarthritis. This causes changes in the size and shape of the spinal canal and can lead to the development of bone spurs, loss of cartilage and the thickening of ligaments.Degenerative disc disease is another condition that can cause lumbar stenosis. This condition occurs as a result of aging and causes changes in spinal discs, making them less flexible as a result of loss fluid. Lumbar stenosis can also be caused by spondylolisthesis, a condition that causes one vertebra to slip onto other vertebra. Herniated discs and injury also play a role in the development of lumbar stenosis.TreatmentIn most cases of lumbar stenosis, a conservative approach to treatment is effective and surgery is not necessary. Physical therapy is often helpful and typically involves a regimen of increasing flexibility and strengthening exercises, with the focus on building strength within the back and core muscles. Cortisone injections can reduce swelling and minimize pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can alleviate pain and also have anti-inflammatory properties, which can relieve swelling and inflammation that occurs around nerves.If steroid injections, physical therapy and medications are not effective at treating pain and swelling, surgery is often the next potential treatment. A laminectomy is a surgical procedure that removes anything that causes compression of the nerves, including ligaments, bone and bone spurs. During a spinal fusion, a surgeon fuses multiple vertebrae together.


What are the common symptoms and treatment options for lower lumbar spinal stenosis?

Common symptoms of lower lumbar spinal stenosis include back pain, leg pain, numbness, and weakness. Treatment options may include physical therapy, medications, epidural injections, and in severe cases, surgery to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves.


What is mixed with opioid for relieving pain of the musculo lumbar spinal stenosis?

as an alternative to surgery. Conservative treatments for the condition include: stretching and exercise, pain and anti-inflammatory medications, or steroid injections. However, patients who suffer severe symptoms from the condition may elect for spinal stenosis surgery in an attempt to alleviate debilitating pain and regain mobility.


What is narrowing of the lumbar spinal canal mean?

stenosis


Will someone with lumbar stenosis have a positive babinski sign?

Not typical of lumbar spinal stenosis because the claudication is not affecting the descending long tracts of the spinal cord which terminates at L1.


Is lumbar stenosis a painful hereditary condition?

The best way to find out about lumbar stenosis to see if it's a painful condition would be to go to the library and look the information up in a medical book or ask your doctor.