What are the symptoms of spinal stenosis?
Depending on where and how severe your spinal stenosis is, you might feel the following in your neck, back, arms, legs, hands or feet:
- Pain
- Numbness.
- Tingling.
- Weakness.
Spinal stenosis usually develops slowly over time. For this reason, you may not have any symptoms for a while, even if it shows up on X-rays or other imaging tests. Symptoms may come and go and affect each person differently.
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Symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis
Symptoms of lumbar (low back) spinal stenosis include:
- Pain in your low back.
- Pain that begins in your buttocks and extends down your leg. It may continue into your foot.
- A heavy feeling in your legs, which may lead to cramping in one or both legs.
- Numbness or tingling (“pins and needles”) in your buttocks, leg or foot.
- Pain that worsens when you stand for long periods of time, walk or walk downhill.
- Pain that lessens when you lean forward, walk uphill or sit.
Symptoms of cervical spinal stenosis
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You can feel symptoms of cervical spinal stenosis anywhere below the point of the nerve compression in your neck. Symptoms include:
- Neck pain.
- Numbness or tingling in your arm, hand, leg or foot.
- Weakness or clumsiness in your arm, hand, leg or foot.
- Balance problems.
- Decreased function in your hands, like having issues writing or buttoning shirts.
What does spinal stenosis pain feel like?
Pain from spinal stenosis can feel different from person to person. Some describe it as a dull ache or tenderness. Others describe it as an electric-like or burning sensation. The pain can come and go.
What causes spinal stenosis?
Spinal stenosis has several causes. Many different changes or injuries in your spine can cause a narrowing of your spinal canal. The causes are split into two main groups:
- Acquired (developing after birth).
- Congenital (from birth).
Acquired spinal stenosis is more common. It usually happens from “wear and tear” changes that naturally occur in your spine as you age. Only 9% of cases result from congenital causes.
Acquired causes of spinal stenosis
Acquired spinal stenosis means you develop it later in life (after birth) — most commonly after the age of 50. These cases usually happen from an injury or changes in your spine that occur as you age (degenerative changes).
Causes of acquired spinal stenosis include:
- Bone overgrowth: Osteoarthritis is the “wear and tear” condition that breaks down the cartilage in your joints, including your spine. Cartilage is the protective covering of joints. As your cartilage wears away, your bones begin to rub against each other. Your body responds by growing new bone. Bone spurs, or an overgrowth of bone, commonly form. Bone spurs on your vertebrae extend into your spinal canal, narrowing the space and pinching nerves in your spine. Paget’s disease of the bone can also cause an overgrowth of bone in your spine.
- Bulging or herniated disks: Between each vertebra is a flat, round cushioning pad (vertebral disk) that acts as a shock absorber. As you age, the disks can dry out and flatten. Cracking in the outer edge of the disks can cause the gel-like center to break through. The bulging disk then presses on the nerves near the disk.
- Thickened ligaments: Ligaments are the fiber bands that hold your spine together. Arthritis can cause ligaments to thicken over time and bulge into your spinal canal.
- Spinal fractures and injuries: Broken or dislocated bones in your vertebrae or near your spine can narrow your canal space. Inflammation from injuries near your spine can also cause issues.
- Spinal cysts or tumors: Growths within your spinal cord or between your spinal cord and vertebrae can narrow your spinal canal.
Congenital causes of spinal stenosis
Congenital spinal stenosis affects babies and children. It can happen due to:
- Issues with spine formation during fetal development.
- Genetic (inherited) conditions that affect bone growth. These are due to genetic mutations (changes).
Some congenital causes of spinal stenosis include:
- Achondroplasia: A bone growth disorder that results in dwarfism due to a genetic mutation.
- Spinal dysraphism: When the spine, spinal cord or nerve roots don’t form properly during fetal development. Spina bifida and other neural tube defects are examples.
- Congenital kyphosis: When your child’s spine curves outward more than it should. As a result, their upper back looks overly rounded. This happens due to an issue with fetal spine development.
- Congenital short pedicles: When your baby is born with vertebrae pedicles (the bony “sides” of the spinal canal) that are shorter in length. This decreases their spinal canal size.
- Osteopetrosis: A rare genetic condition that causes your child’s bones to grow abnormally and become overly dense.
- Morquio syndrome: A rare genetic condition that affects your child’s bones, spine and other body systems.
- Hereditary multiple exostoses (diaphyseal aclasis): A rare genetic condition that causes several small bone growths (protrusions). They can grow on your child’s vertebrae and affect their spinal canal.
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