Spinal Stenosis Specialist

What is spinal stenosis?

Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of your spinal canal. Many things can cause spinal stenosis, most of them related to aging. They include:

• Osteoarthritis
• Herniated or bulging discs
• Spondylolisthesis (vertebra that slips forward)
• Bone spurs
• Thickened ligaments
• Degenerative disc disease

Spinal abnormalities like scoliosis can sometimes cause stenosis.

What symptoms does spinal stenosis cause?

Not everyone who has spinal stenosis experiences symptoms. Back or neck pain is likely to be the primary problem if you do. Other spinal stenosis symptoms include:

• Numbness
• Weakness
• Tingling
• Prickling
• Burning sensations
• Muscle spasms
• Problems walking

Spinal stenosis symptoms develop when the narrowed spinal canal irritates or presses on the nerves coming off your spinal cord. These nerves extend throughout your body, passing through gaps (foramen) in the spinal column bones.

Your symptoms follow the affected nerve’s path, so you might experience arm and leg pain. Sciatica, which can cause lower back and leg pain due to sciatic nerve compression, is sometimes brought on by spinal stenosis.

If you suffer from lumbar spinal stenosis, you might find that leaning or bending forward relieves the pain by making more room for the spinal nerves.

How is spinal stenosis treated?

Spinal stenosis treatment begins conservatively. Treatments Dr. Amin might recommend include:

• Anti-inflammatory medication
• Rest and gentle stretching
• Physical therapy
• Muscle relaxants
• Epidural steroid injections
• Nerve blocks

If you’re not experiencing much improvement after several months of treatment, it might be worth considering surgery.

What surgery would I need for spinal stenosis?

Decompression surgery is the main procedure for relieving spinal stenosis. Decompression involves getting rid of the cause of your spinal stenosis. That could mean removing bone spurs that develop because of osteoarthritis or taking away thickened ligaments.

Dr. Amin can also remove parts of the vertebrae to make more room for your nerves. He can take some (laminotomy) or all (laminectomy) of the lamina bone at the back of your vertebra. Or he can widen the holes that your spinal nerves pass through (foraminotomy).

If your spinal stenosis is caused by a disc problem, Dr. Amin can remove all or part of the affected disc. To stabilize your spine, he fuses the bones on either side of the space. Or you might be a candidate for an artificial disc replacement.

Dr. Amin often uses minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS). MISS doesn’t cause as much tissue damage as open surgery, so you suffer less pain and recover quickly.

Call Beejal Y. Amin MD today or book an appointment online to find the solution to your spinal stenosis symptoms.