Spinal stenosis is a condition that causes the nurve's passageway to narrow or constrict. It refers to the narrowing of the spinal canal. Compression of the spinal cord and nerve roots results in radicular pain and muscle weakness among others.

Spinal stenosis causes sciatic pain from nerve root irritation or impingement, a condition that causes the nerve’s passageway to alter, leading to chronic lower back pain. A typical symptom of spinal stenosis is the pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve down the leg while walking, and you feel relieved of the it, after sitting down.

Different back pain exercises as well as specific exercise for spinal stenosis are useful in controlling spinal stenosis. For treating back pain and sciatica, the spine specialist may encourage you to undertake flexion exercises (forward bending). Flexing the lower spine (bending forward) increases the size of these passageways and allows the irritation or impingement to resolve. This is why people with spinal stenosis often feel better when bending forward (such as leaning on a cane, walker or shopping cart) than standing up straight.

Exercise for back pain, targeted at alleviating the sciatica pain caused by spinal stenosis, typically includes a combination of specific stretching and strengthening exercises that focus on back pain treatment, especially middle back pain:

1. The muscles of the back are stretched that hold the spine in extension (backwards bending).

2. The muscles that bring the spine into flexion (forward bending) are strengthened.

Depending on which nerves are compressed, spinal stenosis may cause a loss of feeling in your arms and hands. It can also cause back and leg pain and mid back pain. As a result, cuts or wounds may become seriously infected because you're not aware of them. In addition, spinal stenosis sometimes interferes with bowel or bladder function- a problem that can affect your quality of life.

Although, exercise for spinal stenosis can relieve symptoms of spinal stenosis, it doesn't stop degenerative changes.