January 2, 2025
The spinal cord is a sensitive piece of human anatomy. It’s essentially the nervous system’s “highway” to transfer information to the brain. Physical inputs can affect the spinal cord, sending false or incorrect signals to the brain. To combat this, the spinal cord is covered with the spinal column.
Occasionally, the defensive spinal column can become a factor in the false signals the spine sends the brain. This can be a result of spinal stenosis, where the column doesn’t give the cord enough space to work properly. It may feel like there’s nothing you can do, but with the help of chiropractic care, you may have a way forward.
Find out how a chiropractor can help your spinal stenosis here!
What is Spinal Stenosis?
Spinal stenosis occurs when the spinal column is too small for the spinal cord, placing extra and undue stress on the cord and surrounding nerves. Whenever pressure or any force is applied to the spinal cord, it interprets these as signals of pain and discomfort in other locations of the body, like the arms or legs.
About 250,000 – 500,000 U.S. residents experience symptoms of spinal stenosis per year, with that number potentially growing to 18 million in the next decade. Most commonly, those above the age of 50 are subjected to spinal stenosis and its symptoms, but it can occur at any age and for multiple reasons. The thoracic segment of the spinal column has more space, so it isn’t as common there, but it can still occur. Most instances are contained in the cervical and lumbar segments of the spine.
What Causes Spinal Stenosis?
It can be caused by many different things, but it mostly stems from osteoarthritis and diseases like it. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition that causes wear and tear on your vertebrae by rubbing them together, developing bone spurs. These bone spurs can grow and put pressure on the nerve, developing into spinal stenosis.
Spinal stenosis isn’t always just caused by osteoarthritis; it can also be developed from herniated discs, thickened ligaments, tumors, and other spinal injuries and potential damage. You can also be born with a spine that’s smaller than normal.
Basically, any issue that can lead to shortness of space and extra pressure on the spinal cord can cause spinal stenosis.
Symptoms of Spinal Stenosis
Early and less severe cases can occur with no symptoms and remain benign, but over time, people may begin to experience:
- Back or neck pain
- Sciatica
- Balance issues
- Leg cramps while standing or walking
- Numbness
- Weakness
- Tingling
- Loss of bladder/bowel control
To pinpoint your symptoms and identify the issues, a healthcare professional will use different imaging equipment like X-rays, MRI, or CT scans.
What Treatments Are There?
One of the go-to treatments for spinal stenosis is painkillers or other medicines to attempt to relieve the pain, but they don’t truly target the issues you’re experiencing. In some events, surgery may be an option, but the best course of action for your symptoms.
Some surgical procedures are effective at removing pain long-term, but this isn’t always the case. Occasionally, the patient will not experience any improvement in their symptoms. This leaves chiropractic care as an option for those who need fast, reliable relief.
How Does a Chiropractor Help?
Chiropractic care, as a specialty, is wholly focused on the spine and achieving mobility and pain relief. This targeted approach to spinal health is incredible for spinal stenosis patients, especially when in the early stages of the condition.
The main tool at any chiropractor’s disposal is manual adjustments, which involve a hands-on approach to realigning the musculoskeletal system. The type of adjustment your professional will use is determined by the severity of your issue and the best approach to rectifying it.
This can include a flexion-distraction technique in which you lie on a table that moves and shifts as your spine is adjusted. With a small change in the position of the table, gravity can assist in adjusting your back and add extra staying power to the correction.
Spinal decompression is the key to adding more space to your vertebrae. Decompression can be the manual adjustments done by a professional, the use of an inversion table, or some light stretching at home. Before any intense decompression, consult a chiropractor to ensure it’s safe for you to do so.
Benefits of Chiropractic
Chiropractic has been around for a long time and has developed some other benefits beyond pain relief:
- Improved Mobility: Chiropractic care improves joint mobility and flexibility by reducing stiffness and increasing range of motion.
- Non-invasive: Chiropractic care doesn’t require surgery or medication, making it an attractive solution for those looking for natural or holistic alternatives to pain relief.
- Prevention: Regular visits to a chiropractor can help prevent musculoskeletal issues from developing.
- Stress Reduction: Chiropractic care relieves stress and promotes relaxation while improving physical and mental well-being.
- Customized Treatment Plans: No “one-size-fits-all”, your chiropractor will craft a plan that is tailored to your needs and goals.
Preventative Strategies
Part of your treatment plan for spinal stenosis may incorporate some habits and strategies you need to follow outside of your appointments. Your chiropractor will help develop a plan for wellness in order to meet your goals for healing. This plan may include:
- Regular exercise targeting the back muscles to increase strength, like walking, cycling, swimming, and weight training
- Maintaining good posture
- Investing in a quality mattress
- Learning how to lift heavy objects safely
- Maintaining a healthy weight
While all of these are best practices normally, your chiropractor will be more specific about what your body needs to reach its potential.
Have More Spinal Stenosis Questions?
Call 727-447-4647 or contact our Clearwater office to see how our licensed chiropractor can help your symptoms! With decades of experience, Family Life Chiropractic is here to offer solutions to get you on track to your healthiest self!
About the Author: With over three decades of experience, Dr. Jere Jarrett is a highly educated and experienced chiropractor who serves Clearwater, FL, and the surrounding areas. He takes a “whole-body” approach to chiropractic care. Instead of treating symptoms, Dr. Jarrett looks for the underlying cause of pain and discomfort. Call 727-447-4647 to schedule an appointment!