Column How to Prevent Spinal Canal Stenosis: Things to Implement in Your Daily Activity Routine

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03.21.2025

Symptoms and causes of spinal canal stenosis

Spinal canal stenosis is a condition in which the spinal cord or nerve roots are compressed by an abnormally narrow spinal canal (the pathway of the spinal cord in the spine) or intervertebral foramen (the pathway for the peripheral nerves).

Symptoms

The main symptoms of the condition are pain in the lower back, numbness in the buttocks and legs, intermittent claudication (pain after walking, followed by the ability to walk again after taking a break), and difficulty in exerting oneself.

Symptoms generally develop gradually, and in severe cases may include urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, and sexual dysfunction. Muscle weakness may also occur, resulting in difficulty with walking.

Causes

Spinal canal stenosis is generally believed to be caused by obesity or repetitive work involving the back, which puts strain on the spine, causing deformity and thickening of the spinal ligament called the ligamentum flavum (or yellow ligament), which in turn will cause compression of the nerves.

The condition often progresses unnoticed, and by the time one realizes it, spinal stenosis has already developed.

How to prevent spinal canal stenosis

What can you do to prevent spinal stenosis, or if you are currently diagnosed with spinal stenosis, what can you do to prevent it from further developing in the future?

The main preventive measures are:

1. Moving the muscles around the hip joints and shoulder blades to reduce the strain on the spine around the waist.

2. Improving your slouched posture.

3. Favoring repetitive movements that do not place a strain on the lower back.

Exercise the muscles in the vicinity of the hip joints and shoulder blades

If the muscles around the hip joints and shoulder blades remain tight, the joints will not be able to move easily and the lumbar spine will become easily strained due to poor posture. This may eventually lead to spinal canal stenosis.

Since this will also help improve a slouched posture, we will start with these stretches.

・Stretching the front of the thighs

This stretches the muscles on the front of the thigh called the quadriceps. When the quadriceps muscles become tight, the pelvis has a tendency to tilt forward and the hips tend to bow. This makes it difficult to maintain proper posture, and hip movement is also compromised, so improving flexibility is a good idea.

With one knee in the upright position, hold the leg you wish to stretch and stretch the muscles at the front of the thigh.

If you have difficulty balancing, you may hold onto a handrail or a chair.

If you are able, you can also stretch while sitting on your knees with one leg extended and your hands behind your back.

Try to round your abdomen a little to make it easier to stretch and to improve the curvature of the lower back.

・Stretching around the buttocks

Tight buttocks muscles can limit hip joint movement and lead to symptoms such as numbness, so it is important to increase flexibility.

With one leg crossed and your back straight, lean your upper body forward. This will stretch the muscles behind your buttocks (gluteus maximus).

Do not push your knees down or force yourself to lean forward too far, as this may injure your knees.

Cross your legs and, keeping your back straight, lean your upper body forward at an angle in the direction of your knees.

This will stretch the muscles adjacent to the buttocks (e.g., the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus muscles).

・Stretching around the shoulder blades

When the area around the shoulder blades becomes stiff, people tend to assume a hunched posture, which in turn leads to poor shoulder, neck, and back mobility and places strain on the lumbar vertebrae. It is especially important to increase the softness of the muscles located behind the armpits (latissimus dorsi).

Stand in front of a wall and place your elbows high on the wall.

Keep your back straight and pull your buttocks rearward in order to stretch the vastus medialis muscles.

Improving your slouching posture

A constantly slouching posture will place a continuous strain on the lower back, causing the muscles of the hips and back to contract and tense up.

To improve one’s slouch, first perform the aforementioned stretches, but with your weight placed on the middle of the soles of your feet and while consciously contracting your abdominal muscles.

If you have difficulty in adopting the above posture, try the following exercises to get the knack on how to mobilize your pelvis and spine before adopting this posture.

・Sitting on a chair

Tilt your pelvis backward while bending your spine forward.

Raise the pelvis straight while extending the spine.

Repeat movements (1) and (2) for 2 to 3 minutes to get a sense of how to move the pelvis and the entire spine.

If you are able, try also performing this exercise while sitting in seiza (with your legs placed straight under your thighs).

Favoring repetitive movements that do not place a strain on the lower back.

・Lifting and unloading luggage

When we think of movements that put a strain on the lower back, lifting luggage immediately comes to mind.

Lifting luggage while bent forward increases the load placed on the lumbar spine in accordance with the principle of leverage. When lifting and lowering luggage, even in the case of light loads, avoid bending forward at all costs. Instead, squat down as shown in the image on the right, with your spine as close to vertical as possible, and use the muscles of your lower body to move the luggage up and down.

Keep the package close to the body’s center of gravity, as shown in the image on the right, without moving it away from the body.

This is especially important for those who work on site everyday and have to carry heavy loads, as they will be performing the same tasks repeatedly.

・Minimizing the strain on one’s lower back when walking

Although we do not pay any particular attention to it, “walking” is the most frequent movement we perform throughout the day, so the way you walk can make a difference in the strain placed on your lower back.

If you walk with your back tilted forward or with your toes spread outward, you are likely putting more strain on your lower back.

So what is the proper way to walk, you may ask?

Walking is easier if you pay attention to consciously involve your sacrum, which is located in the middle of your pelvis.

Try walking with one or both hands behind your back, pushing your sacrum forward. You will find it somewhat easier to walk than usual.

By being more conscious of one’s sacrum, you will find that your body’s center of gravity shifts more seamlessly, making it easier to walk. It also helps improve your posture and reduces the strain on your lower back.

First, start walking with your hands pressing on the sacrum, and after some time, remove your hands and walk while remaining aware as if your hands were still pressing on the sacrum.