Lumbar spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back, typically due to age-related changes or structural issues. It causes the small spaces between the vertebrae to become constricted, putting pressure on the spinal cord and nerves that travel through the lower back into the legs.
Spinal stenosis is often made worse by conditions such as osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, thickened ligaments, bone spurs, or herniated discs. Other lifestyle risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and even poor posture can also contribute to the development of lumbar spinal stenosis.
Common symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis include:
Treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis generally starts with conservative measures and may progress to surgical intervention in more severe cases.
Common non-surgical treatment options include:
With more severe cases, and/or when conservative care options don’t work well enough, it may be time to consider surgery.
Common surgical options include:
Recovery from lumbar spinal stenosis treatment varies based on the severity of the symptoms and chosen approach for treatment. With non-surgical treatments, patients may experience symptom relief within a few weeks or months, and it may be part of ongoing management to maintain spine health.
DISC’s spine surgeons take a minimally invasive approach to correcting lumbar spinal stenosis, which causes less trauma to surrounding tissue and results in a shorter recovery period. Since most minimally invasive procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis, patients are usually able to return home the same day of the surgery. Schedule your consultation with a DISC specialist today.