L3/L4 Foraminal Narrowing & Bladder Control

A lack of bladder control due to nerve damage, neurogenic bladder, can be caused by a traumatic spinal event, age-related spinal wear-and-tear, as well as an adverse effect of spinal surgery itself.

Diagnosis

• The narrowing of the foramen on the spine can only be truly seen during surgery.

  The narrowing of the foramen in the L3/L4 lumbar section of the spine is difficult to diagnose with precision. The foramen is exposed only during surgery after soft and bony tissues are removed or shaved.

Effects

• The front thighs, the shin muscle and knees are affected by L3/L4 nerve damage.

  According to Kevin T. Foley, professor of neurosurgery at the University of Tennessee in the peer-review website Spine Universe, the L3/L4 junction (the lumbar area -- the lower back) is linked with the front of the thigh, the shin muscle, and the knee. Pain in these areas and knee jerking characterize the L3/L4 narrowing.

Surgery

• To relieve nerve pressure, a surgeon may perform a laminectomy, the removal of one or both laminas which are spinal bony plates. This surgery can be performed with endoscopes with minimum invasion, however even where the surgery is successful, like in any surgery, scar tissue will grow at the site. Thus, the nerve can become pinched again due to growth of the surrounding tissue and the bladder related nerve can be damaged.