Between the bones of the spine (vertebrae) there is soft tissue which acts like a shock absorber. Through injury or other causes, some patients have had this material compressed, distorting the shape of the disc and causing the material to create pressure on surrounding nerves (neural impingement). Several conditions may cause such neural impingement, including spinal stenosis, disc herniation, or, rarely, tumors. Continue reading
Spinal stenosis is a condition where there is a narrowing in one or more areas in the spine. This may affect the lower back or the neck.
Spinal stenosis is a narrowing in some parts of the spinal column. This condition puts excessive pressure on the spinal nerves and on the spinal cord.
The nerves affected may differ from one patient to another but generally, spinal stenosis can cause numbness or pain in the back, arms, shoulders and legs. A person with spinal stenosis may observe weakness of the limbs, loss of sensation in major extremities and problems in the bowel or bladder. Continue reading