March 29, 2024
Spinal canal stenosis is a condition in which the spinal canal, through which the spinal cord passes, narrows and causes nerve compression.
According to a report published in 2004 by the Japanese Society of Spine and Spinal Cord Surgery, spinal canal stenosis, along with herniated discs and spondylolisthesis, are among the most common conditions that occur in patients with spinal canal stenosis. *1
*1 : Yutaka Nohara et al., “Report on Spine Surgery Survey by the Japanese Society for Spine Surgery” Journal of the Japanese Society for Spine Surgery, Vol. 15, No. 2, 2004. (in Japanese)
In this issue, we will explain how to deal with the pain of spinal canal stenosis.
Symptoms of spinal canal stenosis
Symptoms of spinal stenosis include numbness and lethargy in both legs, pain and tingling in the buttocks, and abnormal sensations due to nerve compression. If the condition worsens, urinary and stool problems may also occur.
Another characteristic symptom of lumbar spinal stenosis is intermittent claudication. Intermittent claudication is a condition in which the patient feels pain or numbness in the legs when walking and must stop walking after a while, but after a short rest, the patient feels better and can walk again, but the pain returns almost right away. If you have intermittent claudication, even walking 200 to 300 meters can cause symptoms, making it difficult to walk.
Spinal stenosis is also characterized by the fact that symptoms are more likely to occur in the morning or during the cold season.
If the stenosis progresses, numbness in the legs may occur even when lying on your back, or you may have difficulty sleeping unless you lie down and roll your back.
If left untreated because the pain is not severe at first, the disease will eventually progress, and worsening symptoms will start to affect daily life.
Stop-gap treatments for scoliosis symptoms
When pain and numbness of spinal canal stenosis appear and the symptoms are too acute, avoid physical exertion and rest as much as possible. Excessive exercise during periods of strong pain may aggravate the symptoms.
However, if you stay inactive for too long, your muscles will weaken, putting more strain on the spine, and blood flow may become impeded due to body stiffness, which will increase pain and other symptoms. After the pain levels go down, it is recommended to exercise your body little by little as much as you can tolerate.
Movements to avoid when suffering from spinal canal stenosis
The following movements may increase pain and other symptoms.
・Bending the waist
If a person with spinal stenosis arches his/her back too much, the spinal canal will be temporarily narrowed as a result and the nerves will get compressed, aggravating the symptoms. Be careful not to do any movement or exercise that causes the lower back to bend.
・Back-stretching movements
Just like bending the waist, back-stretching movements can further narrow the spinal canal. If you have been diagnosed with scoliosis, you should refrain from stretching your back in a chest-breaking manner with the intention of correcting your posture.
・Do not overdo it
Over-exerting should also be avoided when exercising. Yoga for advanced practitioners, golf, tennis, batting, and other sports that require a lot of twisting and turning tend to put stress on the spine and should be avoided at all costs.
Medication
If pain and numbness in the lower back and lower limbs are severe, oral anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications will be effective. Intravenous infusion or injection may also be used depending on the symptoms.
The indications and effects of medications and injections may vary from person to person, so make sure not to make decisions on your own, but instead consult with your treating physician.
Surgery
If lumbar spinal canal stenosis progresses to the point where symptoms such as pain and numbness are too intense, a surgical operation may be performed. Commonly performed interventions include lumbar laminectomy and spinal fusion.
Lumbar laminectomy is performed under general anesthesia and using an endoscope. An incision is made in the back of the spine and part of the vertebral arch or bulging ligamentum Flavum is removed to relieve nerve compression and widen the spinal canal.
Spinal fusion is performed under general anesthesia by making an incision in the skin of the back, removing the degenerated disc, and placing a cage filled with bone taken from the hip bone to hold the vertebrae in place with screws and rods. It may be performed posteriorly to a lumbar laminectomy.
Treatments available at our clinic
The Florence and Cellgel methods are available to treat spinal canal stenosis at our facilities.
The Florence method is a low-risk, minimally invasive treatment for spinal canal stenosis.
A spacer is inserted percutaneously under partial anesthesia and sedation to widen the narrowed spinal canal. It remains possible to remove the spacer if complications should arise after the treatment has been performed.
The Lobster spacer is inserted inside the vertebral body to stabilize it while preserving spinal rotation and flexion, widening the spinal canal, reducing disc protrusion, and reducing the thickening of the ligamentum flavum. Thus, the narrowed spinal canal is widened, and the pain is relieved.
It is recommended for patients whose condition has failed to improve with conservative treatment and who wish to avoid surgical procedures performed under general anesthesia, such as spinal fusion.
Spinal canal stenosis occurs when a disc cracks, causing the central component to protrude and the protruding portion to cause the spinal canal to narrow. If the disc crack is not repaired, herniation can recur, and the spinal canal can become narrowed again.
The Cellgel method used at our clinics provides a fundamental treatment by injecting a drug that fills the cracks in the disc, which then forms a gel that replaces the cracks. It is characterized by the fact that the volume of the disc is not reduced, and the drug remains in the disc as a gel-like implant after treatment, thus preserving the disc.
ILC also offers “back pain-specific rehabilitation,” which can be used for various types of back pain and for a wide range of age groups.
ILC’s Specialized Back Pain Rehabilitation
If you are suffering from spinal stenosis, please consider getting a consultation at our clinic.
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