Lumbar Canal Stenosis

Lumbar Canal Stenosis is a condition where the spinal canal in the lower back becomes narrowed, putting pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. This can lead to symptoms such as lower back pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in the legs, especially when walking or standing for long periods. It commonly affects older adults due to age-related changes in the spine, such as disc degeneration or arthritis.

What is lumbar spinal stenosis?

Your spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that travels via an opening formed by your vertebrae. Your spinal cord and the nerves that attach it to your muscles may become tense as a result of stenosis.
Although spinal stenosis can occur anywhere along the vertebrae, it most frequently occurs in the lower back. The upper spine connects to the pelvis via five lumbar vertebrae.

Walking long distances may be difficult for you, or you may need to bend forward to ease the strain on your lower back. If lumbar spinal stenosis is present. Your legs may also feel numb or painful. In more severe situations, you may have difficulty regulating your bowel and bladder.

Causes Of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Osteoarthritis is the most frequent cause of spinal stenosis. This is the steady wear and tear and laceration that occurs in your joints over time. Spinal stenosis is common because osteoarthritis affects most people’s spines by the age of 50. Some people are born with spinal canals that are narrower than others’.

Spinal stenosis can result from a variety of illnesses or diseases besides osteoarthritis.

• Narrow spinal canal
• Injury to the spine
• Spinal tumor
• Certain bone diseases
• Past surgery of the spine
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Herniated disk

Symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis

Symptoms of first lumbar spinal stenosis may be absent. Most people experience symptoms gradually over time. Symptoms can include

• Back Pain
• Burning Sensation
• Leg numbness, tingling, cramping, or weakness.
• Inability to feel your feet
• A foot weakness that causes the foot to droop when walking. Another term for this is “footdrop.”
• Sexual Ability Loss

Cauda equina syndrome, or pressure on nerves in the lumbar area, can produce more significant symptoms. However, if you have any of these symptoms, you should get medical help immediately.

• Loss of bladder or bowel control
• Persistent or worsening insensitivity in your back, inner thighs, and legs.
• One or both legs are experiencing severe pain and weakness. This makes it difficult to move or get up from a chair.

Diagnosis

Diagnosing spinal stenosis frequently requires a detailed approach that involves a history, physical examination, and imaging investigations.

History and Physical Examination:

Your healthcare provider will enquire about your particular symptoms, including their duration and degree of severity, during your visit. They will examine your reflexes, measure muscular weakness and sensory abnormalities, and evaluate your gait, balance, and pain level.

Imaging:

Imaging scans are typically utilized to confirm a diagnosis of spinal stenosis and rule out other illnesses.

Imaging tests typically recommended during the workup of spinal stenosis include:

Computed tomography (CT): More sophisticated than an X-ray, a CT scan can identify fractures, osteoarthritis-related bony growths (bone spurs), and compression inside the spinal canal.

X-ray: The reason for spinal stenosis, whether it be a spinal tumor, traumatic injury, spinal arthritis, or a genetic abnormality, may be determined with the use of a spine X-ray.

Myelogram: A myelogram is similar to a CT scan, but involves injecting dye into the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the spinal cord and nerves. This test may be performed for persons who can not get an MRI (for example, patients with cardiac pacemakers).

Blood and Other Tests: These tests can be used to rule out other potential causes of spinal stenosis or to identify particular conditions (such as Paget’s disease).

Electromyography (EMG) An electromyography (EMG) test may also be requested as part of the spinal stenosis diagnosis process. This test determines how well the nerves that originate in your spine are responding.

Treatment for Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis has no known cure and usually becomes worse over time. Physical therapy and medication are used as conservative treatments for most types of spinal stenosis, which can help lessen symptoms. In critical situations, surgery may be necessary.

Physical Therapy:

If you have spinal stenosis, you may be advised to seek physical rehabilitation. A physical therapist can recommend exercises to help maintain and improve your muscles, particularly in your arms and upper legs.

Regular exercise can also lessen pain and improve spinal mobility. However, begin with flexion-based activities and gradually progress to walking or swimming for 30 minutes three times a week, if you’re unable to exercise because of pain.

Medication: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and steroid injections can be used to reduce pain and swelling. Medicines to relieve nerve pain or muscular spasms may also be beneficial.

Surgery:

In a laminectomy, bone spurs are removed, and the space between vertebrae is widened. Some vertebrae in the lower back can also be fused together to provide stability. Fusion and decompression are sometimes used together. Decompression reduces pressure on the nerves.

Types of surgery for spinal stenosis:

Laminectomy (decompression surgery): This is the most frequent operation for spinal stenosis. It involves taking off the lamella, a portion of your vertebra. In addition, the surgeon may remove bone spurs and ligaments. Your spinal cord and nerves will have further space after the treatment.

Laminotomy:  This is a laminectomy that’s only partially completed. The surgeon just removes a little portion of the lamella — the area that puts the most strain on the nerve.

Foraminotomy: Your vertebrae’s foramen is where nerve roots leave. This technique involves cutting away bone or tissue in this position to provide additional space for the nerve roots.

Spinal fusion: Spinal fusion is considered the last option by healthcare experts. They will only consider it if you have radiating nerve pain from spinal stenosis, your spinal column is unstable, and remedies have proven ineffective. Spinal fusion surgery permanently connects two spines together.

Physiotherapy Treatment For Spinal Stenosis

Physical therapists will work together with you to formulate a back-healthy exercise program that will help you gain strength while improving your balance, flexibility, and spine stability. Strengthening your back and abdominal muscles (your core) will make your spine stronger. Physical therapists can train you how to ambulate in a way that opens your spinal canal, relieving pressure on your nerves.

Physiotherapy Exercise

• Knee To Chest Stretch
• Cat Cow Stretch
• Seated Forward Bend
• Cycling
• Posture correction

Knee To Chest Stretch:

• The single knee-to-chest movement targets the muscles in your buttocks.
• This is how you do it.
• Begin by lying on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the ground.
• Next, lift one leg up toward your chest while locking your hands around it.
• Hold that knee to your chest for 15 to 30 seconds while maintaining your lower back flat on the ground.
• After releasing the hold, return your knee to the beginning position.
• Perform this exercise two to four times on each leg.
• However, clasp your hands behind the leg rather than around the knee if you experience knee pain.
• However, if it feels easier on your back, maintain your opposite leg flat on the ground as you raise your knee. If you want to receive further stretch from this exercise.
• Remember, if a workout makes you feel worse, do not do it.

Cat Cow Stretch:

• Kneel with your hands on the floor in front of you.
• Keep your hands shoulder range apart and your knees just beneath your hips.
• Inhale deeply, elevate your head, arch your lower back, and raise your pelvis in a “cow” position.
• Breathe out slowly, arch your spine, lower your head and pelvis like a “cat,” and draw your abdomen in.
• Repeat many times.

Seated Forward Bend:

• Bring your arms straight out to the sides and up above your head, aiming for the ceiling.
• Take a deep breath and raise your back.
• Lean forward and rely on your hips as you exhale. Consider your pelvis to be a bowl of water tilted forward.
• Stretch out your spine with each inhalation. You may need to progressively bend forward in order to do this.
• Deepen your forward bend with each exhalation. Instead of your nose reaching your knees, imagine your abdomen resting on your thighs. This will allow you to maintain your spine long.
• Keep your neck as a natural extension of your spine; don’t let it drop all the way or twist it to look up.
• When you’ve reached full extension with your spine long, determine whether you want to stay there or loop forward.
• Hold your ankles or shins, whatever is within reach. You may also wrap a strap around your feet. Keep your feet flexed strongly throughout.

Posture Correction:

• Stand up straight and tall.
• Maintain a backward posture with your shoulders.
• Pull in your stomach.
• The majority of your weight should be supported by your foot’s heel.
• Maintain a level-headed position.
• Allow your arms to swing down freely at your sides.
• Keep your feet approximately a shoulder’s width apart.

Exercise Video for Lumbar Canal Stenosis

Prevention of Lumbar Stenosis

Spinal stenosis can not be completely avoided because the majority of its causes are normal age-related” wear and tear and gash issues. However, you may take action to maintain a healthy spine. They may reduce your risk or reduce the progression of spinal stenosis. These steps include the following:

• Eating nutritious meals. Make sure you are receiving enough calcium in your diet to maintain bone strength.
• Maintaining a healthy weight.
• Avoiding or stopping smoking.
• Your arteries are harmed by smoking, which can cause back pain and slow the healing of wounds.
• Practicing proper posture.
• Regular exercise.

Summary

The progression of spinal stenosis cannot be stopped. However, with the right course of therapy, which consists of both medicine and frequent exercise. You may improve your pain management and mobility while also living a healthy lifestyle. However, it’s a good idea to see a back disease specialist, such as a rheumatologist or physician, if spinal stenosis affects you or a loved one.

FAQ’s

References:

• Lumbar spinal stenosis. (2024, June 7). Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/lumbar-spinal-stenosis
• Spinal stenosis. (2025, March 19). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17499-spinal-stenosis
• Eustice, C. (2025, January 10). What is spinal stenosis? Verywell Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-spinal-stenosis-2552316
• Mfa, J. H. M. M. (2023, September 22). Spinal stenosis. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/spinal-stenosis