Living with Spinal Stenosis – Pain Treatment Centers Near Asheville
As you can imagine, the spine plays a vital role in the structure of our bodies. The spine is composed of 33 separate bones that protect the spinal cord and central nervous system that connects the body’s nerves to the brain.
Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal which contains the nerve root and the spinal cord. This common condition causes a “pinching” of both the spine and the nerves resulting in pain, cramping, and numbness. Check out the short video to learn more on spinal stenosis right here.
Without further ado, let’s get into living with spinal stenosis and what treatments are available.
Stenosis Symptoms
Symptoms of spinal stenosis range from patient to patient. Some will experience pain that starts off slowly and grows worse and worse over time. Others are hardly affected at all. Below are a few common stenosis symptoms patients most often experience:
Pain in the legs—making walking even short distances unbearable
Pain in the lower back when standing
Leg, back, or neck numbness/tingling
Difficulty maintaining balance
Bladder issues
If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms, get in touch with the pain treatment centers near Asheville at the Comprehensive Pain Consultants of the Carolinas.
Common Causes
Spinal stenosis is most commonly caused by arthritis—or “wear and tear” of the spinal column and discs between the bones of the back. While most cases are due to old age and take place over time, there are also a variety of other causes such as:
Experiencing an injury or having surgery of the spine
Being born with a narrow spinal canal
Having a medical condition such as: bone spurs, spinal tumors, herniated discs or scoliosis
Being female: females are more likely to develop spinal stenosis then men
Living with Spinal Stenosis
Thankfully, there are many ways to lessen the impact of spinal stenosis through lifestyle adjustments. All of the recommendations below are meant to help reduce pain, improve flexibility, and enhance your overall lifestyle:
Regular exercise: Light exercise helps maintain the strength of the muscles which improves your ability to walk and balance. Walking, swimming, biking, and stretching are all great activities to get started with.
Modify your movements: Avoid long periods of standing/walking. It’s also important to avoid high impact exercises such as running.
Therapies: Both physical therapy and massage therapy can help alleviate spinal stenosis pain
Spinal Stenosis Medical Treatments
Diagnostics often begin with an X-ray, MRI or CT scan. Your pain doctor in Asheville will conduct an image test to detect any bone spurs, herniated discs, or other growths near the spin. As previously mentioned, spinal stenosis is very treatable with lifestyle adjustments and physical therapy. Other medical treatment options could include:
Pain medication
Epidural injections
Advanced minimally invasive surgical procedures
Pain Treatment Centers Near Asheville
Are you concerned about lower back or neck pain? Get in touch with the team of specialists at the Comprehensive Pain Consultants of the Carolinas. We can help you tackle the pain associated with spinal stenosis once and for all. Give us a call today!
Get in touch with us by calling 828-483-4438
Disclaimer: You should always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health care provider before beginning any exercise program. The information contained in this article does not constitute medical advice, nor does reading or accessing this information create a patient-provider relationship. Comments that you post will be shared with all visitors to this page. All comments are not governed by HIPAA and you should not post any private health information.