Spinal stenosis can cause you a lot of discomfort over a long period of time. This means that it is important to know what the symptoms of spinal stenosis is, and when you should seek medical advice. If you are thinking of booking a chiropractic appointment for spinal stenosis, here is everything that you need to know before you go.
What is spinal stenosis?
Spinal stenosis occurs when the spaces in your spine begin to narrow and impede on your nerves, leaving no space for them within your spinal cord. This can be painful as there will be constant pressure on your nervous system. People with spinal stenosis either have lumbar stenosis, where spaces are narrowed in your lower back, or cervical stenosis, where spaces are narrowed in the spinal passages of your neck.
What causes spinal stenosis?
Spinal stenosis is most often caused by a gradual natural decline, and so it is most common in older people. Those that also suffer from arthritis are at most risk from spinal stenosis as osteoarthritis can change the shape of the spine and narrow the spaces within it. However, spinal stenosis can also be a condition that you are born with, with some people having naturally narrow spinal cords, or having a congenital disability, which leads to the condition. Other conditions may also be the cause of spinal stenosis, including bone tumors, scoliosis, or a kind of dwarfism called achondroplasia.
What are the symptoms of spinal stenosis?
To make sure that you know when spinal stenosis is starting to occur, and that you are able to get the right treatment early, you should be aware of the different symptoms that spinal stenosis can present itself within. The most common symptom people experience is lower back pain, which occurs due to the fact that there is extra pressure on the nervous system. However, lower back pain can occur for a number of reasons, and so it is useful to understand the other symptoms that this may be combined with. These include weakness in your limbs, a feeling of numbness in your legs, and balance problems that can affect your quality of life. If you are displaying one or more of these symptoms, it is important that you speak to a medical professional on an urgent basis.
How can spinal stenosis be treated?
If you have spinal stenosis, this does not mean that you have to cope with the pain that it causes for the rest of your life, as there are many treatments available for you. At first, you may be offered medication to help you to cope with the side effects of the condition, including the pain. This may take the form of cortisone injections or anti-inflammatory drugs. However, if your condition is progressing or does not respond to these, you may be offered surgery in order to widen the spine (foraminotomy), remove part of the vertebrae (laminectomy), or meld areas of the spine together (spinal fusion).
If you are after a less invasive solution to your condition, you should consider the advantages of chiropractic care. At SnapCrack, a walk-in chiropractor in Brickell, we can provide you with manual adjustments that can realign your spine and widen the spaces within your spinal cord, relieving the excess pressure on your nervous system. In addition to this, manual adjustments can work to achieve natural pain relief, allowing you to better be able to cope with your condition.
Don’t hesitate if you are suffering from spinal stenosis. Contact us or visit the SnapCrack Brickell chiropractor clinic today.
