Spinal stenosis is a condition wherein due to narrowing of the spinal cord an excessive pressure is exerted on the spine which results in severe back pain for the sufferer. Spinal stenosis is usually a reason of degeneration of the bones and joints due to the old age. A majority of the spinal steno sis patients are above 50. But this does not mean new general is immune to the condition as young people too get affected by the condition. This may be due to some grave injury or accident or, a person may be born with a smaller spinal cord, which results in spinal steno sis at a very young age.

Now let us look at some of the commonly used treatments for spinal stenosis. Mainly the treatment options be divided into non surgical and surgical treatments.


Non surgical treatments include-
 

NSAIDS or Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs- This group of medication reduces the inflammation and pain but to a certain level only. Further they also have a lot of side effects. Drugs like aspirin, ibuprofen belong to this category, so they are not recommended for frequent use.

ANALGESICS - Acetaminophen and Tylenol are two types of analgesics which reduce the pain but are ineffective to reduce inflammation. They also have a lot of side effects. Excessive use of analgesics can cause damage to your liver and kidney. 

RESTRICTED ACTIVITY- Sometimes a little bit of rest and avoiding those things that trigger your pain can help to cure your pain, but you have to be careful as prolonged rest can further excoriate your condition.

PHYSICAL THERAPY- Perhaps it is the easiest and the least costliest way to cure your back pain. Walking, jogging and stretching exercises can do loads of good to your back but be careful not to do weight training and avoid twisting or jerking anything. Biking is also a good remedy as it strengthens your back immensely.


BRACES OR CORSET- These pieces of equipment are helpful for those whose spine is injured from more than one places and whose abdominal muscles are weak. One advantage of braces is that people can do a number of activities even while wearing braces.

STEROID INJECTIONS- Corticosteroid medication are helpful in reducing both pain and inflammation but can cause unwanted side effects.

Surgical treatment

SURGERY- In the severe cases only do we require surgery, they mainly have two motives- to reduce the extra pressure and to reimburse strength to the spine. Decompressive laminectomy, Laminotomy and Fusion are the most popular types of surgical methods to reduce spinal steno sis .We have to be careful and also mentally and physically prepared as the recovery takes a lot of time.