Spinal Stenosis: Treatment

There are numerous treatments for spinal stenosis, including medications and surgery. These treatment options can help reduce your back pain cause by spinal stenosis.

Spinal Stenosis Treatment Options
Treatment has improved immensely since the 1950s when the medication options were largely limited to aspirin and cortisone. In the absence of severe or progressive nerve involvement, a doctor may prescribe one or more of the following non-surgical treatments.

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, naproxen (eg, Naprosyn), ibuprofen (eg, Motrin) can help reduce inflammation and relieve back pain. New generation COX-2 inhibitors have shown remarkable results in many cases.
• Analgesics, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) can help relieve back pain.
• Corticosteroid injections into the outermost of the membranes covering the spinal cord and nerve roots can help reduce inflammation and treat acute pain that radiates to the hips or down one of your legs.
• You may need to restrict the amount of activity you do (will vary depending on extent of nerve involvement).
• Physical therapy and/or prescribed exercises can help you maintain motion in your spine and build endurance, which helps stabilize the spine.
• A lumbar brace or corset can provide some support and help you regain mobility in your back. This approach is sometimes used with patients with weak abdominal muscles or older patients with degeneration at several levels of the spine.

Spinal Stenosis Surgery
Surgery is typically the last resort when it comes to treating spinal stenosis. Your doctor will most likely have you try several other non-surgical treatments options for several months before he or she recommends surgery. Less than 5% of patients consulting a spine specialist ever actually have spine surgery.

The most common surgical solution to spinal stenosis is a laminectomy. The term is derived from 2 words: "lamina" (part of the spinal canal's bony roof) and "-ectomy" (removal).

 

The object of a laminectomy is to remove the pressure on the nerve root. The pressure is the cause of the pain and other debilitating effects of spinal stenosis. The procedure can be performed using traditional or minimally invasive techniques. The decision is largely governed by your surgeon's preference. He or she will remove bone and debris from the foramen to reduce pressure on the nerve root.

Recovery from Spinal Stenosis
Healing is the body's natural process of restoring its damaged tissues to a normal or nearly normal state. Although healing may be improved by general good health, proper nutrition, rest and physical fitness, healing is a natural process.

Recovery is the process during which you work to become well. It requires a gradual but persistent effort to increase physical strengths and minimize weaknesses. You must concentrate on what is improving, rather than on what symptoms remain. This focus on progress that has been made, combined with the constant effort to improve, make up the positive attitude that will speed your return to normal daily activity, over the next 3 months.

Should You Have Surgery for Spinal Stenosis?
Your doctor can help you determine whether surgery is an option for you. But ultimately, the decision to have surgery to treat spinal stenosis is up to you.