Spinal Stenosis: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

What it is

Your spine protects your spinal cord and lets you stand and bend. In spinal stenosis, the space inside the spine narrows. That narrowing presses on the nerves and spinal cord and can cause pain.

Who gets it

• Mostly people over 50.
• Younger people who have a spine injury or were born with a narrow spinal canal.
• People with diseases such as arthritis or scoliosis, which can cause it.

Symptoms

Symptoms may come on gradually — or not at all. They include:

• Pain in the neck or back
• Numbness, weakness, cramping or pain in the arms or legs
• Pain that runs down the leg
• Foot problems

Diagnosis and treatment

• Diagnosis: a physical exam and imaging tests.
• Treatment: medicines, physical therapy, braces and surgery.

Sources

Based on "Spinal Stenosis," MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, drawing on the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; a work of the United States government in the public domain.