What are the symptoms of spinal stenosis?

1. Numbness of feet and legs
2. Back pain
3. Neck pain
4. Burning pain in the buttocks
5. Bowel or bladder dysfunction

  Let’s face it, we all want a body that is strong and healthy to help us become productive every day. Our body is quite a complex vessel that requires countless nerves and muscles to coordinate in order for the whole body to function. But at some point in time, our bodies will develop a number of aches here and there. You may not be aware of it, but those occasional aching symptoms can lead to more severe health conditions such as spinal stenosis. At first, spinal stenosis symptoms can be undetectable, causing only tingling sensations in various muscles. However, if left untreated, it can damage your body to the point of needing an invasive surgical procedure. Simply put, spinal stenosis is a condition wherein your spinal cord and nerves are compressed. Depending on where the narrowing is occurring, you may feel a “pinching” sensation in several body parts. Beware of the symptoms it causes to avoid worsening your condition. Read on to learn more about it!  

Numbness of Feet and Legs

Your spinal cord contains a bundle of nerves that runs through a tunnel called the spinal canal. Spinal stenosis occurs when the spinal canal is narrowed and pressured. The symptoms often start gradually and then worsen over time. But it all depends on which nerves are being impacted. The narrowing of the spinal canal is more common among older people because disks become less spongy with aging. But in rare cases, it can also occur in younger individuals. The numbness of the feet and legs is a common sensation, especially if you’ve been working all day, or worse, standing for extended periods of time throughout working hours. However, if you notice that the numbness is making it hard for you to walk normally, you may need to get yourself checked for spinal stenosis. Once spinal stenosis causes damage to your nerves, you will surely feel the numbness on your feet and legs. To manage the numbness caused by spinal stenosis, you can try to rest your feet or apply a cold compress to reduce swelling from your daily activities. Or better yet, completely avoid standing up for long periods of time.  

Back Pain

Spinal stenosis patients will often claim that they don’t have symptoms. But what they don’t realize is that they are often sitting with their torsos leaning forward. By crouching the body forward, spaces in the spinal canal are expanded. This same reaction removes the pressure on the nerve roots. It is proven that people with spinal stenosis find it easier to walk with a flexed posture than walking upright. As stated earlier, spinal stenosis expresses itself with widespread muscle pains. Once a person with spinal stenosis exhibits the wrong torso extension posture, it will ultimately lead to back pain. The exacerbation of back pain among them is caused by the tethering of nerve roots in the lower back area.  

Neck Pain

Spinal stenosis damages the spinal cord, which is why it does not come as a surprise that neck pain is a symptom. If you don’t already know, your neck is connected to the upper back of your body through the cervical spine. Neck pain is caused by the degenerative changes occurring in the intervertebral discs which also impacts the spinal nerve roots in your neck.  

Burning Pain In The Buttocks

Sciatica is the term for the pain experienced in the sciatic nerve. This nerve runs from the lower back down to the legs. One of the most common causes of sciatica is spinal stenosis. If your spinal discs get damaged, it does not only shoot down your legs but it can also cause pain in your buttocks. Before numbness in the feet and legs occurs, patients will normally describe buttocks pain as burning or excruciating. It also takes place often while walking.  

Bowel or Bladder Dysfunction

We mentioned earlier that for severe cases of this condition, surgery may be necessary. The clear sign of this option is the loss of bowel or bladder control. Spinal stenosis causes serious damage to the nervous system. Damaged nerves affect the ability of your rectum to store and get rid of bodily waste. This is because the signals being sent between the colon and the brain are being disrupted, which causes constipation and bowel movement accidents. In the same way, nerve messages are going back and forth between the muscles that control the bladder and the brain. If the nerves are damaged, the muscles won’t be able to tell if it is the right time to relax and pee.  

How Do You Treat Spinal Stenosis

Surgery procedures that are being done for this condition are invasive and involve widening the space between the vertebrae. Doctors only recommend going through with it if there is permanent spinal cord damage occurring. If you’re suffering from spinal stenosis, chiropractic treatment is an all-natural method to help relieve the painful symptoms of back pain and neck pain. When you visit professional chiropractors, you will have to undergo x-rays that help detect where the exact source of spinal stenosis is.  

Key Takeaway

When it comes to spinal stenosis symptoms, you need to be aware if you’re experiencing numbness of the feet and legs, neck pain, back pain, burning pain in the buttocks, or bowel and bladder dysfunction. These experiences are not only uncomfortable, but they can also hamper you from having a productive and comfortable lifestyle. These discomforts can be alleviated through the help of a professional chiropractor. For the best chiropractic care services in the Philippines, choose Chiropractor Philippines. We are professionals equipped with knowledge and expertise ready to cater to your body pain concerns. Author’s Note: This entry was optimized by the best SEO Services Agency in the Philippines – SEO Hacker