My spine doctor diagnosed me with lumbar stenosis. What are the symptoms and treatment options? Stenosis is a medical term for narrowing or “pinching” of the nerves in the spine. This is a very common problem in the lower back.
Lumbar Stenosis Symptoms
Typical symptoms are back and leg pain that worsen when standing or walking. People with severe lumbar stenosis cannot walk as far as they want, limiting their abilities to perform their normal activities. Symptoms are described as a “heaviness or a pain”. A common alleviating factor is flexing forward. Many times my patients tell me they need to lean forward on a shopping cart, referred to as “shopping cart sign”, to alleviate their symptoms.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Fortunately, there are treatment options for lumbar stenosis. First and foremost, trying to improve the symptoms through a medication or physical therapy are often times all someone will need. If the symptoms become severe, different types of injections may give relief of pain for a long period of time.
If conservative measures fail, taking pressure off the nerves in the back through a surgical procedure (decompression) can improve symptoms.
