Why You Get the Disorder

Stenosis of the Spine

If you have stenosis of the spine, it’s likely that you’re getting older. That’s because stenosis of the spine is typically an ailment that occurs in elderly people. It’s simply part of the aging process.

Years ago they used to call this ailment creeping paralysis. In those days, if someone had creeping paralysis, they had to live with it until they died. The term stenosis comes from the Greek word for narrowing of a normally large opening. Basically, it is the widening of the cervical, thoratic and lumbar regions.

Why You Get the Disorder

It’s believed that there are factors that make a person predisposed to getting spinal stenosis and it all starts in the womb. This can be caused by genetics or it can be caused by a congenital disorder coming from the mother. Usually, these factors will result in the person experiencing lower back pain very early on in life. These back problems will continue to worsen as time goes by and gravity starts to set in.

However, there are other reasons why a person may come down with stenosis in the spine. That can be if they have poor posture, or if they have poor body mechanics, if they’re overweight, if they have experienced physical abuse, if they smoke, if they eat a poor diet, and many other reasons too numerous to mention.

Of course there are diseases that cause it, too, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, scoliosis, and sway back, or lordosis. What happens is that the spine separates in various spots and thus the person experiences severe back pain.

How Will it Affect You?

When you have stenosis and you let it go for long periods of time, you can actually have your discs collapse. That means your joints will become inflamed and that sets off a chain reaction of inflammation and angry joints. What happens is the person’s entire facet joint grows and that’s when stenotic problems happen.

Worst Cases

In the worst cases, the person loses control over the muscles in the legs or lower legs. This can happen extremely slowly. It happens so slowly, in fact, that the elderly person hardly knows what’s going on. It’s only when they fall, or complain that they can’t move one of their legs that they’re alerted to the serious problem.

Some people accept when this happens, and they chalk it up to another fact of aging. Some merely use a cane or a walker and go on about their lives. But then the leg pain starts and that’s when they know something is seriously wrong.

This is when they usually think they have cancer or some other serious disease and they rush to their doctor.

The Doctor’s Examination

The doctor will typically conduct X-rays, a physical exam, he or she will go through the person’s entire medical and life history, and there will more than likely be an MRI.

When the doctor is convinced that it’s stenosis in the spine, a treatment plan will be created and hopefully followed by the person. Usually, this treatment plan consists of physical therapy, an epidural, as well as medications. Then, if those treatments don’t work, the doctor will typically resort to surgery to correct the problem.

Early Treatment

The idea is to never let the stenosis get that far along. If you’re getting older and you’re experiencing back pain or weakness in the lower extremities, or even if you’ve suffered from back pain your entire life, it’s worth going to your doctor to get checked for this disorder. It is preventable and treating it early can save you years of pain and frustration.

Even though stenosis is part of the aging process doesn’t mean you have to live with it. You can get along just fine as long as you talk to your doctor and come up with a good treatment plan.

However, if you suspect that you have the disorder, and you haven’t done anything about it, you could be setting yourself up for years of hurt. That’s why it is imperative that you get to your doctor right away the moment you suspect that you have the disorder so that you can hopefully catch it early.

There are many people who have and live with stenosis of the spine. These people waited too long to get help. Don’t be one of those people. Get help now and live your life pain free as it was meant to be lived.