Spinal Stenosis in Colchester

What is Spinal Stenosis?

Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spaces within your spine where your nerves exit, called Intervertebral Foramen (IVF). When these spaces close or shrink, they can put pressure on those nerves, and even possibly on the spinal cord itself.

Causes

Spinal stenosis is most commonly caused by changes in the spine related to osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a chronic condition that causes the formation of bone spurs, which can grow into the IVF, or the spinal canal. Other causes can include a chronic or acutely herniated disc, or in rare cases a tumor, which would apply pressure to the surrounding tissue including the spinal nerves or cord.

Symptoms

People with Spinal Stenosis can suffer with a variety symptoms, from none at all to debilitating pain, and the intensity varies from person to person. Most commonly someone will describe pain in their neck or back. People may say they feel they have numbness, weakness, cramping, tingling, or even pain radiating into their arms or legs. Someone could as be experiencing problems with their normal bladder or bowel function.

How Can Chiropractic help?

While other methods of treatment might just attempt to manage the symptom of pain, and can be invasive like surgery, chiropractic can attempt to relieve the problem itself. When a vertebral misalignment occurs, or subluxation, your bones are in an improper position throwing off the alignment of your spine. That means the bones are under more stress than normal, which can accelerate osteoarthritis development. Subluxations also make your spine less stabile and weaker, so in the event of a trauma, you’re at a greater likelihood of increased injury. By restoring proper motion and curve alignment to your spine through chiropractic you may be able to slow, or in some cases stop, the progression of osteoarthritis and stenosis. Chiropractic care is an appropriate, non-invasive approach to helping you with your Spinal Stenosis.