Spinal Stenosis Treatment Options

Back pain is a common problem that develops with age. One cause of age-related back pain is spinal stenosis, which can also cause pain in other areas of the body. This degenerative condition has several different treatment options, depending on the severity of the case -- mild cases can be treated with a trip to your local pharmacy, while severe cases may warrant complex spinal surgery.

Definition

• Spinal stenosis sounds like a complex condition, but it's really just the compression of the spine that occurs with age. The narrowing of the spine is usually caused by some level of osteoarthritis. As the spine narrows, it pinches down on the spinal cord and the nerves that lead outward from the spinal cord. This pinching leads to cramps, numbness, and pain in the back, shoulders, and limbs. In severe cases, spinal stenosis can cause urinary and bowel incontinence.

Drugs

• Medication can be used to treat spinal stenosis-related pain. Common over-the-counter treatments include ibuprofen, aspirin and acetaminophen. These drugs work well for mild pain but won't ease severe pain, and taking too many of them can cause organ damage. Epidural steroid injections into the spinal cord can also ease inflammation and are especially useful for leg pain, although side effects limit their use to a few treatments per year.

Physical

• Physical therapy -- exercises, massage, and heat and cold treatment -- can help ease the pain of spinal stenosis by strengthening the abdominal muscles, taking some of the stress off the spine and increasing the flexibility of the spine. Spinal stenosis patients should exercise several times a week to experience noticeable benefits. Another physical response to spinal stenosis pain is limited physical activity and bed rest, although strict bed rest can be counterproductive, as it stiffens muscles.

Support Devices

• For patients with weak abdominal muscles or severe spinal degeneration, a corset or other lumbar support device can help with the symptoms of spinal stenosis. These devices may not have to be worn at all times, but merely when activities are performed that involve stress on the back. Corsets or lumbar support devices are often coupled with light bed rest.

Surgery

• In severe cases, surgery is an option for dealing with spinal stenosis. Spinal fusion connects two or more vertebra to each other, keeping them from moving and pinching nerves. Wires, rods, or bone from other parts of the body may be used for this procedure. During decompressive laminectomy, the lamina (the bone that covers the spinal canal) is removed. This allows nerves room to decompress and also gives surgeons access to other physical problems, such as ruptured discs and bone spurs. However, decompressive laminectomy is a very complex surgery and it can also lead to serious side effects. Laminectomy is similar to decompressive laminectomy, but only part of the lamina is removed.