A Chiropractic Perspective on Spinal Stenosis

If you struggle with back pain or neck pain seems to get worse with the passing years, you may have a condition called spinal stenosis. This progressive narrowing of the bony canal surrounding your spinal cord can cause not only pain but a variety of other unpleasant symptoms as well. Fortunately, many treatment options exist that can help relieve those symptoms and allow you to regain strength and flexibility.

To understand this condition we must first understand the architecture of the spinal column. The rear-facing parts of your vertebrae include spiky projections that encircle a ring of open space, with the spinal cord resting protected inside this space. Articulated joints called facet joints connect this assembly and allow for motion. If the inner diameter of this space grows too narrow, the resulting pressure on the spinal cord may cause such symptoms as pain in the neck and shoulder area, tingling or loss of sensation in the extremities, weakness, loss of coordination and leg pain. In some cases you might even have problems with bowel or bladder control.

While disease or injury can cause stenosis, it often occurs as a natural byproduct of the aging process. If the cartilage between the facet joints in the vertebrae wears out, for instance, this form of osteoarthritis can cause bone spurs to form on the inner vertebral surfaces, thickening the walls of the spinal cord canal. Aged ligaments may also thicken and press into the canal, while dried-out vertebral discs lose their ability to properly cushion the spinal bones.

Help Is Available for Yorkville Spinal Stenosis Patients

While many spinal stenosis cases may respond to surgical treatment, our chiropractor, Dr. Brian Berkey, provides Yorkville spinal stenosis patients an alternative with non-surgical spinal decompression. This advanced, FDA-approved treatment applies gentle vacuum pressure to the spine to relieve nerve pressure and allow degenerated discs to repair themselves. We also offer traditional chiropractic adjustment and physical therapy to help relieve headaches and other chronic discomforts. Stop stenosis before stenosis stops you!

Have you suffered from spinal stenosis? What were your symptoms?