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What is Spinal Stenosis?

Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal, which places pressure on the spinal cord.

Types of Spinal Stenosis

There are three types of spinal stenosis:

• Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: The stenosis appears in the lower part of the spinal canal with pain usually radiating to the legs.


• Cervical Spinal Stenosis: The stenosis appears in the upper part of the spinal canal with pain usually radiating to the arms.


• Thoracic Spinal Stenosis: The stenosis appears in the middle part of the spinal canal with pain usually radiating to the mid-section or the internal organs.

Spinal Stenosis Explanations

The spine is a long series of bones called vertebrae. Between each pair of vertebrae is a fibrous intervertebral disc. Collectively, the vertebrae and discs are called the backbone.

Each vertebra has a hole through it. These holes line up to form the spinal canal. A large bundle of nerves, called the spinal cord, runs through the spinal canal. This bundle of 31 nerves carries messages between the brain and the various parts of the body.

At each vertebra, some smaller nerves branch out from these nerve roots to serve the muscles and tissue in the immediate area.

When the spinal canal narrows, nerve roots in the spinal cord are squeezed. Pressure on the nerve roots cause chronic pain and loss of control over some functions because communication with the brain is interrupted.

The lower back and legs are most affected by spinal stenosis. The nerve roots that supply the legs are near the bottom of the spinal cord. The pain gets worse after standing for a long time and after some forms of exercise. The posture required by these physical activities increases the stress on the nerve roots.

Learn more about spinal stenosis:
Home
Causes of Spinal Stenosis
Diagnosis of Spinal Stenosis
Symptoms of Spinal Stenosis
Treatment for Spinal Stenosis

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The Bonati Spine Institute advocates spinal stenosis patients to be well informed. We encourage you to contact us to request more information, a no-obligation MRI review or a personal telephone consultation. Find out why The Bonati Procedures are considered to be among the world’s best solutions for laser spine surgery.