Spinal Stenosis: What Is The Least Invasive & Most Effective Solution?

Walking arm in arm-along a narrow canal in Venice is a dreamy bucket-list experience. Having a narrowing in your spinal canal, however, the underlying problem that causes spinal stenosis?- Far from romantic or enjoyable. This condition impacts up to half a million adults in the US, accounting for approximately 10% of the population, as reported by Medscape.

In this article, we will cover:

• What is Spinal Stenosis?
• Cervical vs Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
• Why Does It Occur?
• The 3 Areas of The Spine Most Affected By Stenosis
• How Spinal Stenosis Affects The Nervous System
• Common Treatments
• The Most Effective, Research-Backed Home Device For Painful Stiffness Often Associated With Spinal Stenosis

What is Spinal Stenosis?

Simply put, it’s a narrowing of the spinal canal. The spinal canal houses the spinal cord and nerve roots. The narrowing of the canal exerts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. When someone with spinal stenosis feels this pressure, it often reduces quality of life, causing pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness. In addition, spinal stenosis may compromise mobility. If you have a severe case, just a short walk to the mailbox can seem like an insurmountable feat. Spinal stenosis can cause difficulty walking or standing for extended periods. Moreover, in severe cases, bladder and bowel function may be affected.

Cervical vs. Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis can occur in different regions of the spine, with cervical and lumbar stenosis being the most common. Cervical spinal stenosis affects the neck area, potentially leading to symptoms such as neck pain, weakness, and problems with coordination. In comparison, lumbar spinal stenosis occurs in the lower back and can cause pain, numbness, and weakness in the legs, particularly during walking or standing. In addition, the thoracic spine also can be compressed (most frequently by a disk herniation).

Why Does Spinal Stenosis Occur?

Do you know the suffocating feeling when the walls of your home seem to be closing in, either because you’re not feeling well, your in-laws are in town, or maybe your children have taken over every room of the house with toys? With spinal stenosis, the spinal canal—the bony tunnel that encases the spinal cord—undergoes an uncomfortable constriction of its own.

Like many other conditions, age is a common factor. The aging process can cause spinal degeneration, which, consequently, causes ligaments, discs, and bones in the spine (vertebrae) to break down. Conditions related to spinal degeneration, such as osteoarthritis and herniated discs, can also cause spinal stenosis.

In addition, congenital conditions, spinal injuries, tumors, and conditions like Paget's disease, which involves abnormal bone remodeling, may lead to spinal stenosis. So, too, may inflammatory (autoimmune) conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

How Does Spinal Stenosis Affect the Nervous System?

In spinal stenosis, the narrowing of the spinal canal can result in compression or impingement of the spinal cord and/or nerve roots. This constriction can lead to changes in the normal flow of nerve signals and impact the functioning of the nervous system. The effects on nerve flow in spinal stenosis can manifest in various ways, including:

Pressure on Nerve Roots

In the lumbar spine (lower back), spinal stenosis can compress the nerve roots that branch out from the spinal cord and travel down the legs. This compression can lead to symptoms such as pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in the lower back, buttocks, and legs. If you have spinal stenosis in your neck, the compressed nerve roots may extend into the arms, leading to pain in the neck, shoulder, or arm, as well as weakness.

Impaired Blood Flow

The narrowing of the spinal canal may also affect the blood supply to the spinal cord and nerve roots. Reduced blood flow can contribute to nerve dysfunction.

Interference with Sensory and Motor Signals

Spinal stenosis can interfere with the normal transmission of sensory and motor signals along the affected nerve pathways. This disruption can result in abnormal sensations, weakness, or difficulty controlling muscle movements.

Symptoms Aggravated by Activity

Symptoms of spinal stenosis often worsen with certain activities, such as walking or standing, due to increased nerve pressure during these movements.

Bowel and Bladder Issues

When the compression is severe, the nerves that control bowel and bladder control may be affected.

Common Treatments for Spinal Stenosis:

Fortunately, surgery is rarely needed for spinal stenosis patients. However, as implied, you don’t need a severe case to disrupt your quality of life. The most common treatments range from physical therapy, pain medications, and epidural steroid injections. When surgery is necessary to relieve pain, a procedure called a laminectomy is usually performed, in which a portion of the vertebra is removed to create more space. The surgery also may include the fusing of two or more vertebrae (spinal fusion).

Want a second opinion before surgery? Even if you have mild spinal stenosis, Posture Pump® Disc Hydrators® may improve your quality of life. An at-home back and neck pain device that takes just 5-15 minutes of daily use, Posture Pump® is backed by leading neurosurgeon, C. Norman Shealy, M.D., inventor of the modern TENS unit.

Posture Pump®: Backed By MRI Research Studies

Spinal stenosis is becoming more common as people are living longer. However, predicting who will develop symptoms is not possible, at least not yet. Diagnosing spinal stenosis is often confirmed with imaging studies like MRI or CT scans. If you have spinal stenosis, the good news is that MRI research studies examining the effects of Posture Pump® Dual Air Cell Models on damaged cervical spines have shown significant spinal decompression, high-level disc expansion and hydration, and natural lordotic curve restoration of the neck and lower back (less hunchback and swayback).

The patented Expanding Ellipsoidal Decompression (EED®) in Posture Pump® devices may alleviate pain associated with spinal stenosis. Under EED®, high-level joint separation is achieved by expansion of the elliptical shaped air cells into the curves of the neck and back. As EED® occurs, bulging disc material is drawn back toward the disc proper and away from the spinal cord and nerves. It aligns joints in a curved shape while increasing disc height in a ratio corresponding to the disc’s natural wedged shape. These natural spinal curves of the neck and back are essential.

Benefits of Posture Pump® For Spinal Stenosis-Related Pain & Stiffness:

• Non-invasive
• Easy-to-use
• Effective
• Drug-free
• Affordable (FSA/HSA eligible)
• Comfortable

Posture Pump® can help get to the root cause of painful discomfort from spinal stenosis, so you can get back to living your best life.. Over 3 million units have been sold, and thousands of customer reviews suggest significant improvement. We’re so confident you’ll have great results that we offer a 60-day satisfaction guarantee. Not sure which product to try? Support both your neck and back with the Dual Deluxe Full Spine Model.