Spinal Stenosis Symptoms

How do you know you have spinal stenosis?

There are many ways to detect (or at least suspect) whether the pain you may be feeling is being caused by spinal stenosis. Since the condition is caused by the narrowing of the spinal cord, it can create pain in a plethora of ways due to the pressure that’s built up in your back and on the compressed nerves – those pesky, sensitive little things that act up when they’re not happy and aren’t shy about letting you know as much.

So what might you feel?

Spinal stenosis generously offers many diverse types of pain symptoms:

• Numbness and cramping from your feet to your legs and up into your back and neck, including your shoulders and arms
• Numbness in your extremities
• Tingling in your legs, arms, or feet
• Weakness in your legs, arms, or feet
• Feeling unbalanced, resulting in a tendency to fall
• And, for an encore, bladder and/or bowel dysfunction
  (If you have either of these last two issues, see your physician immediately!)

Does the pain start suddenly?

Usually not – it builds up over time, although spinal stenosis can also be caused by an accident or a fall. But more often, it’s simply due to wear and tear on your spine as you get older. Unfortunately, it happens to the best of us!

The good news is . . .

There are remedies for your pain! Sometimes it’s as easy as taking an over-the-counter pain reliever, changing the way you sit or do other daily activities that may be aggravating your spine; sometimes it involves muscle stimulation, chiropractic adjustments, massage, or physical therapy or a combination of all of the above. If your condition is severe, surgery may be recommended – but first find out what, exactly, is causing your pain so you can follow the most optimal course of treatment.