What is the best treatment for Spinal Stenosis?
July 15, 2009
For most patients, a combination of treatments will provide the most effective results for Spinal Stenosis. While every type of treatment has its purpose, combining chiropractic, physical therapy and spinal decompression is really the key. It is very rare in our office to only use one form of treatment because each modality will feed on the next to get the patient well quicker.
To explain why, let’s talk a bit more about what creates Spinal Stenosis. Stenosis means narrowing. So when the spine starts to narrow, it starts to choke off the nerve which typically causes a lot of decreased mobility and pain and weakness down into the legs.
Most cases of spinal stenosis are acquired as a result of degenerative changes in the spine. The main cause of spinal degeneration is osteoarthritis, an arthritic condition that affects the cartilage that cushions the ends of bones in your joints. With time, the cartilage begins to deteriorate, and as it wears down, bone may rub painfully on bone. In an attempt to repair the damage, your body may produce bony growths called bone spurs. When these form on the facet joints in the spine, they narrow the spinal canal.
Another common factor that can cause a narrowing of the spinal canal is a herniated disc, which we see often in our office. A herniated disk can narrow your spinal canal and compress nerves in your lumbar spine, leading to pain that starts in your hip or buttocks and extends down the back of your leg. I often use an oreo cookie as an analogy. The cream in the middle represents the disc. If you press on one side of the cookie, the cream is going to come out the other side. It’s also going the make the area between the cookies smaller. So it actually has a flattening effect on the cream of the cookie. The cream coming out would represent a disc bulge or herniation. The flattening effect is creating closer contact to the nerve because it has narrowed the space. Anytime you have contact with the nerve, you have pain!
So it’s all about balancing on the disc. If there is abnormal pressure on one side or the other, it’s going to have its affect. With chiropractic treatment, we will work on aligning your spine to create that balance between discs. With spinal decompression, we are restoring some of the nutrient back into the disc, essentially rehydrating the disc. By building up the disc, you are making a bigger opening for the nerve to go through. We also may use traction to stretch the spine and mold it into a more curved alignment, which will create a bigger opening for the nerves. In my experience, all of these treatments, in combination with physical therapy to strengthen and help prevent reoccurrence, will provide the best long-term relief for Spinal Stenosis.
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