Lumbar spinal stenosis can seriously affect your ability to enjoy the activities of everyday living. However, there are several treatment options available to relieve your symptoms and maintain or improve your activity level.
Your doctor will usually try nonsurgical management as the first line of treatment options for patients with mild to moderate symptoms. This may include physical therapy, nerve block injections, and oral medications.
Patients who do not respond to these treatments may be offered a surgical procedure called spinal decompression which involves opening up the spinal canal to relieve pressure on the nerves. Sometimes this procedure is performed along with a spinal fusion, which may require a larger incision and result in a lengthy recovery.
Recently a new type of surgical treatment has become available that uses an interspinous spacer device, which is designed to relieve pressure on the nerves while preserving the patient’s anatomy and ability to maintain motion.
