It is, for the most part, an older person’s disease and it usually affects people over fifty. It’s a condition in which the spine narrows and this can mean pressure on your spinal cord or your nerves resulting in pain and discomfort. There are many places along the spine where this narrowing can occur. However, there are three main areas where most people experience spinal stenosis. They are in the vertebral column which is the central column or space which houses the nerves and the spinal cord, the spaces between the vertebra which are the spinal bones and the roots of the nerves which go out from the spinal cord. Sometimes, just a small portion narrows and sometimes it’s a much larger area.
This condition can affect both men and women in the older age range but that does not mean that it never affects younger people. Spinal stenosis can occur in people who could be born with this as a defect or if the spine gets injured and therefore narrows. The spine provides the body with the support it needs for a person to stand, bend, sit or turn around. The spine consists of vertebrae which are held together by facet joints and cartilage. The spinal canal is the space in which you’ll find all the nerves and the spinal cord. The vertebrae have openings through which the branches of the nerves pass and the spine is supported by ligaments which keep the spine straight and don’t allow it to slip out of place. At the bottom of the spinal canal is the cauda equine which translates to mean horse’s tail – because that’s what it looks like – and this is a bunch of nerve roots that facilitates neurological function in the bottom portion of the body.
Some are born with the spinal column narrower that what it should be. In this case, the symptoms of spinal stenosis are manifested from a very young age. However, for most people, the canal narrows with age as the degenerative process of aging sets in. For some, the ligaments become less elastic and more rigid with age or they might have calcium deposits on them, making them less flexible. Sometimes, the joints enlarge and there might be bone spurs that develop and these could bulge out and narrow the space around the spinal cord. Or a herniated disk could occur and the cartilage could bulge out, narrowing the space.
Whatever the reasons for the narrowing of the spinal column, the fact remains that it could cause a lot of pain and discomfort so there has to be treatment that is prescribed before the pain becomes unbearable. The pain can be managed with pain medication as well as rest, massage and certain exercises. The spine is such an important part of the body and anything that goes wrong with it can cause so much distress so it should be paid attention to. Make sure that you see a good doctor who will treat you or who might refer you to a specialist. Then, make sure you take your medication, do your exercises and rest as you are advised to.