That is an excellent question! Spine surgeons aren’t certain the
best treatment plan for
spinal stenosis, but
conservative care is gathering more
consideration in the medical research! Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka
delivers
non-surgical care
that alleviates pain for Sitka spinal stenosis sufferers. Chiropractic patients
in Sitka dealing withspinal
stenosis know come to Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka will find our care gentle and
comfortable and esteem the
research and
procedures that make up its administration.
Before going further lets delve
into what is spinal stenosis. Spinal
stenosis is the result of narrowing in the spinal canal area.
For a good number of us
lumbar spinal stenosis happens with age when deterioration of the spine takes place. It may be due to how the spinal elements developed from the
beginning. (Sometimes people are born with narrow spinal canals.) Likewise spinal stenosis can be the result of a disc
herniation that is injecting itself into the spinal canal, taking up the space that is designed for the spinal nerves. Whatever the cause, spinal stenosis’ narrowing creates
pain.
When surgeons see
spinal stenosis in a patient they often provide surgical choices
to englarge that narrowed space. There are many approaches
from which a patient may choose. Decompressive
surgery is one such avenue.. It is cost-effective for lumbar spinal stenosis, but surgical and conservative
treatment approaches result in comparable quality of life at one year follow
up.
(1) Spinal fusion is another such alternative. A Cochrane Database Review, a big deal in the world of
research, reports that there is no significant
difference at 6 months and 12 months post spine surgery for lumbar spinal
stenosis. Cochrane pulled from 12,966 citations to conclude
further that they have very little confidence to determine whether surgical or
conservative care is better for lumbar spinal stenosis. They, therefore, offer
no new clinical practice recommendations for doctors to follow. They do
emphasize though that side-effects
from surgery range from 10% to 24% and side effects from conservative
care, 0%. There
were no side effects from conservative care for lumbar spine stenosis in their
review. Further,
they report that there
were no clear benefits seen with surgery versus no surgery. They warn clinicians to carefully
inform patients about possible treatment options “especially given that
conservative treatment options have results in no reported side effects.”
(2)
If you suffer from pain due to lumbar spinal stenosis,
contact Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka, the Sitka chiropractic
practice for gentle relief of back pain. Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka
chiropractic care at Sitka
most certainly is the answer to the
question of “what to do with spinal stenosis?” for you!
"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the
DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by
Dr. James M. Cox I."