In today’s life, Spinal Canal Stenosis has become a common reason for many people who are dealing with long-lasting back, neck, or leg pain, especially for elderly people. This problem happens when your spinal canal becomes too narrow, which puts pressure on the spinal cord or nearby nerves. This pressure can cause pain, tingling, weakness, or even trouble while walking. Identifying the problem early and getting the right treatment can prevent serious nerve issues and help you feel much better. There are several causes and several treatment options for this.

In this blog, we will discuss what causes spinal canal stenosis, the symptoms of this condition, the treatment of this problem, and how you can manage or prevent this condition.

What is Spinal Canal Stenosis?

The Spinal Canal is a hollow tunnel in your spine that protects your spinal cord and nerves. When this space becomes narrower and the nerves get squeezed, then this situation causes pain, numbness, or other uncomfortable problems. This condition is called Spinal Canal Stenosis, which can happen in the cervical spine (neck) or in the lumbar spine (lower back). The lumber canal is the most commonly affected part of the spine with this condition.

As the space of the spinal canal gets tighter, then a small movement or pressure irritates the nerves, which leads to discomfort, weakness, or difficulty in moving normally. Early treatment helps to prevent these symptoms from getting worse.

Also Read: Why Your Chronic Back Pain Keeps Coming Back – Hidden Causes & Effective Solutions

Why Does Spinal Canal Stenosis Happen?

A lot of factors contribute to the spinal canal getting narrower as one ages. The most common ones are:

Age-Related Degeneration

The main reason for spinal canal stenosis is age-related wear & tear. As you get older, the discs in your spine shrink, the joints become thicker, and the ligaments get stiffer; also, sometimes bone spurs form. All these changes slowly reduce the space in the spinal canal and press on the nerves.

Herniated or Bulging Discs

When a spinal disc slips or moves out of its normal position, it can press into the space where the nerves run. This reduces the space inside the spinal canal and puts pressure on the nerves, which causes pain, numbness, or weakness in the affected area.

Thickened Ligaments

The Ligamentum flavum is a ligament in our spine that helps to support movement. With ageing and age-related arthritis, this ligament gets thicker as a reactionary response to chronic inflammation. When this happens, the ligaments start taking up extra space inside the spinal canal, which presses on nearby nerves and causes pain or discomfort.

Bone Spurs

Osteoarthritis can lead to extra bone growth in the spine, and it is known as bone spurs. These extra bits of bone can slowly grow into the spinal canal and reduce the space which is available for nerves. When this happens, the nerves get irritated and cause pain, stiffness, or numbness.

Spinal Injuries

Injuries from accidents around the spine can reduce the space inside the spinal canal. When this happens, the nerves may get squeezed or irritated. This pressure can lead to pain, numbness, or weakness. These symptoms may appear suddenly after the injury.

Congenital Spinal Stenosis

In some cases, people are born with a spinal canal that is naturally smaller than the normal, because the space is already small, then even a small change in the spine can press on the nerve. This can cause symptoms like pain or weakness.

Tumors or Infections (Rare Condition)

Abnormal growths, such as cysts or tumors, from certain conditions can also reduce the space inside the spinal canal. When this space becomes smaller, the nerves get compressed, which can lead to tingling or weakness, depending on where the narrowing occurs.

Symptoms of Spinal Canal Stenosis

The symptoms of Spinal Canal Stenosis can be different based on the area where the nerves are being compressed. In this section, we have mentioned the symptoms of spinal canal stenosis, which could be cervical, lumbar, or common to both.

Common Symptoms of Spinal Canal Stenosis

The common symptoms are:

• Back or neck pain
• Numbness or tingling
• Weakness in arms or legs
• Having pain while walking or standing
• Get relief when bending forward or sitting

Symptoms of Cervical (neck) Spinal Stenosis

The symptoms are:

• Numbness in the arm and hand
• Stiffness in the neck
• Balancing problems
• Having difficulty with fine finger movements

Symptoms of Lumbar (Lower Back) Spinal Stenosis

• Heaviness and pain in the legs
• Having difficulty walking long distances, patients typically explain that their walking distances have come down, and they have to sit for some time before resuming the walks.
• May also have leg cramps.
• climbing downstairs is more difficult than climbing upstairs

Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore

Seek immediate medical care if you experience:

• Loss of bladder or bowel control
• Sudden and severe weakness in the body
• Rapidly worsening symptoms

How Is Spinal Canal Stenosis Diagnosed?

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and go through your medical history, and perform a medical examination to understand the reason for your discomfort. Spinal canal stenosis is diagnosed through a physical exam, medical history, and imaging tests. These things help doctors to see the narrowed area, identify nerve pressure, and provide you with the best treatment. 

The Spinal canal stenosis is diagnosed by physical examination & imaging tests.

Physical examination: In this examination, the doctor will check how well you can move, your reflexes, your muscle strength, and how well you can feel sensations in your arms and legs.

Imaging tests: Imaging modalities help to confirm the findings of history and clinical exam by visualization of the affected part of the spine and grading the severity of the condition. Useful imaging modalities are X-ray of the spine and MRI. A CT scan may be used to identify the bony pathologies contributing to the condition

Also Read: Non-Surgical Neck Pain Treatments

Treatment Options for Spinal Canal Stenosis

Spinal canal stenosis can be treated by non-surgical treatments & by surgical treatment. Many patients’ first approach is non-surgical treatment, as it is done without any operation or surgery. Let’s know more about these terms.

Non-Surgical Treatments

Most people start feeling better with non-surgical treatments, especially when spinal stenosis is caught early or is not too severe. These treatments can reduce pain, improve movement, and help you manage the symptoms of spinal stenosis without any surgery. 

The non-surgical treatment involves:

• Physiotherapy:  A physiotherapist will create a personalised exercise plan for you. This may include strengthening your back muscles, improving flexibility, fixing your body posture, and building core strength. These exercises help to reduce the pressure on the spinal nerves.
• Medications: to get rid of these problems, your doctor may prescribe you anti-inflammatory medicines to reduce swelling, pain relievers to ease the discomfort, muscle relaxants to calm tight muscles, and Nerve pain medicines to reduce burning or tingling sensations.
• Epidural Injections and Adhesiolysis: Because of the chronicity of the problem, the spinal cord and nerves around it can become adherent to each other and surrounding ligaments, thereby causing pain. In this procedure, high-volume solutions are injected to mechanically break the adhesions, followed by epidural injections to reduce inflammation and prevent these adhesions from forming again.
• Lifestyle Modification: By maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding standing for too long, using proper posture, and doing gentle walking and stretching to help reduce pressure on your spine and ease symptoms.
• Heat & Cold Therapy: These therapies are used to reduce stiffness, inflammation, and muscle cramps.

Minimally Invasive Interventions (MIPSI) 

Endoscopic Discectomy and Foraminotomy- It is a percutaneous technique to insert an endoscope around the affected portion of the spine and remove the bulged disc along with bone grinding around the foramen to improve space for the nerves.

Surgical Treatment

Surgery is another option, which is considered when other treatments don’t help, when weakness or nerve problems get worse, or when walking becomes difficult because of severe pressure on the nerves.

The surgical treatment involves:

• Laminectomy: This surgery is used to remove the lamina to create more space in the spinal canal.
• Laminotomy: This treatment is done by removing a small part of the lamina to relieve pressure. It’s a less invasive procedure than a full laminectomy.
• Spinal Fusion: It is used when there is instability in the spine.

The difference between minimally invasive interventions and surgical treatments is the extent of tissue damage that can be avoided with minimally invasive interventions, thereby reducing the recovery period and associated complications. Given a choice, one should opt for minimally invasive interventions around the spine as a general rule.

Can Spinal Canal Stenosis be Prevented?

You cannot completely prevent the spine from changing with age, but you can reduce your chances of developing spinal stenosis. As you cannot fully prevent this problem, you can minimize the risk by:

• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Exercise regularly
• Strengthen your core and  back muscles
• Avoiding lifting heavy objects
• By maintaining good posture
• Treat early spine problems without any delay

Get Expert Treatment to Prevent Spinal Canal Stenosis at Pain Medics

Living a life with spinal canal stenosis can be exhausting, but with the right treatment, it can be prevented and make a huge difference. At Pain Medics, we focus on safe, non-surgical & minimally invasive treatments that address the real cause of nerve compression. Being a trusted pain-relief clinic, we provide effective care for all types of chronic spine pain, such as: 

• Our expert healthcare team provides gentle, non-invasive therapies.
• These treatments help reduce nerve pressure.
• They improve your movement and mobility.
• We create personalised treatment plans for your specific needs.
• Our approach supports long-term recovery.
• We help you live a healthier and more comfortable life.

Final Words

Spinal Canal Stenosis is a common but manageable condition. In the above article, we have mentioned all the important terms of this, which will help in understanding its causes, symptoms, and treatment. Most people find relief through non-surgical treatments, especially physiotherapy & lifestyle changes.

Pain Medics is one of the leading interventional pain clinics to manage spinal canal stenosis, as our specialists carefully identify the cause of nerve compression and provide effective, non-surgical treatments. So, if you are looking for safe & reliable care for spinal stenosis, then Pain Medics is here to help you. Visit us at SCO 212, Sector 40D, Chandigarh, 160036, or call +91 94787 67649 to schedule your appointment.