Spinal Stenosis Causes Back Ache or Pain Symptoms for Treatment

Are you having back aches or experiencing back pain for no apparent reason? And these aches and pains seem to have come on gradually. Well, if you’re around age 50 or older you may suffering from spinal stenosis.

Spinal stenosis causes narrowing in your spine. The narrowing can occur at the center of your spine, in the canals branching off your spine and/or between the bones of the spine.

This narrowing puts pressure on your nerves and spinal cord and can cause pain. Some symptoms of this stenosis may be pain in your neck or back, numbness, weakness or pain in your arms or legs, and/or foot problems.

Not to mention that when one part of your spine fails, it usually places increased stress on other parts. Osteoarthritis may also add to your back pain pot.

In the absence of severe or progressive nerve involvement, initial treatments usually include:

Chiropractic treatments and acupuncture may also offer some relief.

In many cases, the conditions causing spinal stenosis cannot be permanently altered by nonsurgical treatment, even though these measures may relieve pain for a period of time.

And yes, there’s always back surgery as the last resort. All surgeries carry risks. The most common complications of spinal stenosis surgeries are:

  • infection
  • blood clot that forms in the veins
  • tearing the membrane covering the spinal cord at the site of the operation

The presence of other diseases and the physical condition are also significant factors to consider when making decisions about surgery.

Filed under: Back

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