Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
As people start to reach the age of 50, lumbar spinal stenosis commonly starts to become symptomatic. What is lumbar spinal stenosis? Lumbar spinal stenosis is a condition involving the lower back or lumbar spine. It can occur earlier in life with severe trauma or genetics, but it is seen more commonly after the age of 50. The wear and tear of everyday abuses accumulate over the years and symptoms of lower back pain, leg pain (sciatic nerve), tingling in legs, or cramping in legs start to become problematic to the individual.
The low back or lumbar spine normally has 5 lumbar vertebrae. In between these 5 vertebra are the intervertebral discs which act as shock absorbers and/or spacers. These discs keep the spine or vertebra off the delicate nerves that exit through the vertebra in the lower back. These lumbar nerves travel into the buttocks, thighs, calves, and feet.
Chiropractic treatment at the early stages of lumbar disc degeneration will almost always lead to superior treatment outcomes. The earlier a condition can be identified or diagnosed, the more conservative non-surgical treatment options the individual will have.
We commonly see Jackson residents with lumbar spinal stenosis which often involves moderate to severe disc degeneration in the lumbar spine. This chronic degenerative condition starts to choke the nervous system within the low back or where the nerves are exiting the lower back. Stenosis means narrowing. This narrowing of the spine creates irritation to the nerves that travel into the low back and legs. Symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis commonly involve moderate to severe low back pain, leg pain (sciatic nerve), or cramping into legs. The symptoms of low back pain, leg pain or cramping are increased with standing upright and walking a certain distance. As the lumbar spinal stenosis progresses, the amount of time a person can stand and the distance a person can walk pain-free slowly decreases. It may seem odd but these same individuals can ride a stationary exercise bike with little or no discomfort. The person suffering from lumbar stenosis often gets significant relief from sitting down, squatting, or bending forward. These patients are commonly told they have degenerative disc disease, or a lot of arthritis in the lower back and are prescribed pain medication. No active treatment is rendered and the spinal stenosis gets worse.
At Schonhard Chiropractic, we understand lumbar spinal stenosis and offer an effective, conservative, non-surgical chiropractic treatment that can offer considerable relief. This chiropractic treatment commonly leads to the ability to stand for longer periods and walk longer distances without the severe pain that lumbar spinal stenosis creates. Cox flexion distraction is a chiropractic treatment that can break the cycle of compression on the choked nervous system in the lower back. As experienced chiropractors, we have been using Cox flexion distraction for spinal stenosis treatment in our office since 1993. If you suffer from lumbar spinal stenosis, we may be able to increase your quality of life with a conservative non-surgical chiropractic treatment.
