Lumbar Canal Stenosis (Blumbar Spinal Stenosis)
What is Canal Stenosis?
Vertebrae are bone structures that protect the structures called spinal cord and nerve fibers. Spinal cord and nerve fibers start from the lower part of the head and descend downwards along the canal in the middle of the vertebrae. There are structures called discs between the vertebrae, which connect the vertebrae to each other. These discs lose their fluid amount as we age. This condition may cause the disc's load-bearing ability to decrease and cause the disc to harden and shift from its location to the spinal canal, narrowing the diameter of the canal.
Another cause of spinal stenosis is the growth of the facet joints behind the vertebrae.
What are the Symptoms?
The main ones. symptoms; pain, numbness and cramps in the back or legs. Weakness may occur in the legs. Rarely, it may cause bladder and/or bowel problems. Complaints may increase with standing and walking for long periods of time. After walking for a limited time, you may need to stop and squat due to weakness and numbness in your legs. Walking distance may gradually decrease. The pain may ease or disappear completely by bending or sitting.
How is it diagnosed?
Your doctor will take a history from you and examine you. Your diagnosis will be confirmed with the X-ray, tomography or MRI images that will be requested later.
All these studies help determine the stenosis of the spinal canal, nerve root compression and the location of the stenosis.
What are the Treatment Options?
Your doctor will determine if there is a problem that causes you pain. If he detects stenosis, he will first try non-surgical methods. These treatment options are anti-inflammatory treatment (oral or injection) and painkillers to control pain.
Spinal injections (such as epidural injection of cortisone) can be done.
When drug therapy and injections for pain control are not beneficial. physical therapy can be tried.
However, non-surgical methods alone cannot correct the stenosis in the spinal canal and cannot eliminate the pain for a long time.
Surgical Treatment:
Surgical intervention; It is a preferred treatment method for those with progressive leg weakness, difficulty walking, and urinary tract problems.
The purpose of the surgical intervention is to relieve the pressure and expand the diameter of the canal. The name of this procedure is lumbar decompression. With the relief of the nerves expanded by the procedure, there is a decrease in pain, improvement in numbness, increase in walking distance, and improvement in urinary problems. Today, patients are lifted and walked on the same day after the operation and are generally discharged within one or two days. They are expected to return to their daily lives during the week of the operation.
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