Back pain treatment answers: what is lumbar spinal stenosis?
Back pain treatment explains that your spinal cord is made of a bundle of nerves that passes through your vertebrae like a tunnel. The tunnel is formally known as the spinal canal. The narrowing of your spinal canal in the lower portion of your back is called lumbar spinal stenosis. Pressure can be caused by the narrowing of your spinal canal on the spinal cord or the nerves that run from the spinal cord to your muscles.
It is more common to experience spinal stenosis in the lower back, but it can happen in any part of the spine. The lower part of your back is known as the lumbar area. There are five lumbar vertebrae that connect your pelvis to the upper spine.
You may find that you need to lean your body forward to ease the pain in your back or might find walking distances to be troubling if you have lumbar spinal stenosis. You can also feel some pain or numbness in your legs. You may even have some difficulty controlling your bladder and bowel in more severe cases of lumbar spinal stenosis.
What causes lumbar spinal stenosis?
Age is the most common cause of lumbar spinal stenosis. The tissues in your spine can start to thicken as you get older, and your bones may get bigger and compress the nerves.
There are a few health conditions that can contribute to lumbar spinal stenosis, including:
- Ankylosing spondylitis: This can lead to growing bone spurs because it is a type of arthritis that can cause chronic spine inflammation.
- Osteoarthritis: The cartilage that cushions your joint will break down with this type of arthritis. It can cause bone spurs to grow in the spine as well as affect the cartilage between your vertebrae.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: The chronic inflammation that is caused by this type of arthritis can cause damage to your bones and develop bone spurs.
- Spinal injuries: Pressure can be put onto the nerves in your spine due to a bone fracture or slipped disc that results in a bone or vertebrae fragment which causes the pressure.
How is lumbar spinal stenosis diagnosed?
Your doctor will conduct a physical examination, review your medical history, and ask you about your symptoms. Your doctor may also feel your spine by pressing on different areas to see what causes you pain during your physical examination. To see if moving your spine into different positions will bring you any pain or other symptoms, they will ask you to bend your body in multiple directions. Also, your doctor will monitor your balance, see how you walk, move, and check your leg and arm strength.
To determine the exact type, location, and extent of the problem, your doctor will request some imaging test to examine your spine, including x-rays, MRI, and CT or CT myelogram.
Back pain treatment in Charlotte NC
Back pain treatment specialists in Charlotte NC recommend that learning as much as you can about your condition is the best way to manage it, as well as working closely with your medical team and taking an active role in your treatment to receive the care you can count on.
ChiroCarolina®, one of Charlotte’s premier chiropractic clinics, is known throughout the Southeast for providing the best chiropractic care in the Uptown Charlotte, NoDa, and UNCC college areas, conveniently located on North Tryon Street. Trust ChiroCarolina® in Charlotte: visited by patients throughout the south: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, and Texas.
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