Spinal injury is nothing to be taken lightly, as it can affect you for the rest of your life. Dr. Han Jo Kim specializes in surgery of the spine and provides a comprehensive patient care approach. For spine surgeon NY, please consider giving us a call. However, today we’re here to talk about spinal stenosis, a common condition that can have lifelong effects. 

What is Spinal Stenosis?

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Also called spinal narrowing, spinal stenosis is the narrowing of spaces inside your spine. This puts pressure on your nerves, of which there are 31 pairs in the spine. Spinal stenosis most often occurs in your neck and lower back. If you have spinal stenosis, you may be asymptomatic at first. However, many people experience pain, pins and needles, numbness, and weakness in the affected areas. These symptoms can all get worse, as well. Spinal stenosis is usually caused by complications related to the most common type of arthritis globally, osteoarthritis. The condition is treatable, but surgery might be suggested in severe circumstances, which is where we come in. 

There are two different types of spinal stenosis as well. These depend on where it appears on the spine. They are known as cervical stenosis, where it occurs in your neck. The other type is lumbar stenosis, which is your lower back and is more common. Now that we know these two types, we can elaborate more on the specific symptoms of spinal stenosis. 

For cervical stenosis, you may experience tingling or numbness in your hands, arms, legs, and feet. You may also experience weakness in all of these areas. If you have trouble balancing, walking, or experiencing neck pain, these can all be symptoms of cervical stenosis in your neck. In extremely severe circumstances, you may experience dysfunction of your bowels or bladder and incontinence in the worst case. For lumbar stenosis, the areas affected are primarily your legs and feet. Numbness, tingling, and weakness in these areas are common. Sometimes, pain and cramps may occur in your legs as well. In general, back pain is a good indicator of this case as well. Spinal stenosis also becomes more common with age, with most affected being over 50. 

What Causes Spinal Stenosis?

Although some people may be born with a narrow spinal canal, something usually has to happen to cause the narrowing to begin. This can be a wealth of things, including:

  • Bone overgrowth: Bone spurs growing into your canal can cause narrowing. This is usually prompted by arthritis.
  • Herniated disks: Your spine has soft tissue that acts as an absorber for shock. These can wear out with age and even crack. The damage from this can cause narrowing.
  • Thickened ligaments: The ligaments holding your spine together can become thickened and rigid. This intrusion can damage your canal. 
  • Tumors: A tumor within your spinal cord can do a wealth of damage, but thankfully are uncommon. 
  • Spinal injury: Any trauma to your spine can damage the canal and cause narrowing.

Treatment For Spinal Stenosis

However, treatment for this condition varies depending on the type and severity. Sometimes, just monitoring it is key before anything worsens. Make sure to be honest with your doctor. Your doctor may prescribe medications, such as pain relievers, antidepressants, and even opioids. Physical therapy is usually essential in treatment to prevent muscle atrophy. Physical therapists can help you build strength in key areas and keep you active, so the condition doesn’t sideline you permanently. Steroid injections are common to help with the pain.

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However, these vary from person to person and can have dangerous side effects. Sometimes, needles can be used to remove a thickened ligament and widen the canal. This, however, is only useful for those afflicted by that particular type of spinal stenosis. The procedure is called percutaneous image-guided lumbar decompression. Lastly, surgery may be performed to treat the condition. It is the most effective way to treat spinal stenosis, but spinal surgery is incredibly invasive and should be performed with caution. See down below for the types of surgery that can be performed for spinal stenosis are:

  • Laminectomy: Is a part of the affected vertebra is removed. 
  • Laminotomy: Only a portion of the line has a hole carved in for pressure relief.
  • Laminoplasty: This is performed in the neck to open up the canal.
  • Minimally Invasive Surgery: Occurs where the bone or lamina is removed in such a fashion as to reduce damage to the surrounding area. 

Dr. Han Jo Kim – Spine Surgeon NY

If any of this sounds like it could be relevant to you, please don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Han Jo Kim’s office for a spine surgeon NY. We will help you in any way we can. Click here to learn more about our services and how we can help you with your injury today!