According to PubMed, spinal stenosis affects 103 million people worldwide. The condition can cause several issues that can significantly hinder your daily life, preventing you from enjoying your favorite activities. New York Spine Specialist offers professional spinal stenosis treatment to New York residents looking to overcome the condition and improve their quality of life.
New York Spine Specialist is one of New York, NY’s leading spinal stenosis treatment centers. If you need a spine specialist in New York that will help you curb your spinal stenosis symptoms, contact our team.
Spinal stenosis is an unfortunate reality for many New York residents. It puts immense pressure on the nerves, causing severe pain that makes everyday activities much more difficult, or even impossible in severe cases. Fortunately, patients have several non-invasive treatment options for spinal stenosis that will reduce their symptoms and make the condition more tolerable.
Below are a few spinal stenosis treatments available to New York City residents.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, also called NSAIDs, diminish inflammation in spinal joints and nerve roots, giving the spinal canal more space. Many NSAIDs are over-the-counter and readily available at many pharmacies. Naproxen, aspirin, and ibuprofen are common variations of NSAIDs.
Corticosteroids are another anti-inflammatory medication that can relieve pain and nerve irritation while reducing swelling. However, unlike NSAIDs, corticosteroids require a prescription and a follow-up evaluation once the prescription runs out before you receive further treatment.
Neuroleptics stabilize overactive spinal cord neurons to eliminate leg and arm pain brought on by nerve compression. However, neuroleptics aren’t well understood, and treatment varies depending on:
Physical therapy can alleviate compressed nerves within your spine while reducing pain naturally. Experienced physical therapists will create a spinal stenosis treatment plan to strengthen and stretch muscles that affect the condition. These treatments will also alter the spine’s lumbar curve to open the spinal canal, making it easier to walk, stand, and perform various physical activities.
However, it’s important to note that physical therapy isn’t a long-term treatment for spinal stenosis. Although it alleviates symptoms and can improve your overall health, it doesn’t address the root cause of stenosis. Physical therapy is often a secondary treatment accompanied by other, more effective remedies and medications.
Many spinal stenosis patients receive therapeutic injections to curb their symptoms when non-invasive treatments aren’t sufficient. Below are some common injections for spinal stenosis.
Corticosteroid injections, commonly called epidural injections, subside discomfort and reduce inflammation within the spinal canal. Doctors administer the injections into the epidural space (the space between the fluid-filled sac and vertebrae within the spinal canal surrounding the spinal cord and nerve roots) and use imaging tests and video X-rays to direct the injection into the area. The medication typically consists of a local anesthetic and corticosteroids, giving patients weeks, sometimes months, of relief.
However, everyone’s body reacts to corticosteroid injections differently, causing results to fluctuate from person to person. Some people may feel the effects within a day and experience months of relief, while others may not experience anything at all. That said, corticosteroid injections are a fantastic treatment and can help you return to physical activities as fast as 24 hours.
Facet joints allow your spine to move and rest along the spine’s structure. However, if they become inflamed or irritated, they push against the nerve roots and cause bone tissue to swell, causing severe pain and discomfort. Facet joint injections reduce joint inflammation and pressure along the nerve roots, relieving pain much like corticosteroid injections.
Some doctors use radiofrequency ablation if facet joint injections don’t fully curb spinal stenosis symptoms. The procedure utilizes high-energy electromagnetic waves to demolish nerve-carrying pain impulses.
Doctors administer a local anesthetic before inserting a tiny probe into the problematic nerves. Once the probe is in place, the doctor puts electrodes around the region. These electrodes generate heat through electromagnetic waves that pass through the small probe before entering the nerves.
Once the heat reaches the nerve, it kills the tissue to reduce pain.
If both non-invasive and injection treatments fail to alleviate spinal stenosis symptoms, Doctors often advise patients to undergo spinal stenosis surgery. There are several surgical procedures available, mostly consisting of decompression. The three most common decompression surgeries for spinal stenosis are:
If you are a New York resident suffering from spinal stenosis and want efficient treatment from experienced professionals, contact New York Spine Specialist. Our spinal stenosis treatments will help you overcome excessive pain and discomfort so you can enjoy a pain-free life. Our doctors accept most insurance plans, including workers’ compensation, no-fault, and PIP (personal injury protection), and same-day appointments may be available.
Give New York Spine Specialist a call at (516) 355-0111 and see what our doctors and spinal orthopedists can do for you today!
Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal, often caused by the natural aging process, but can also be seen in patients suffering from degeneration and congenital spinal conditions. Though most patients never experience pain from their spinal stenosis, in some cases the associated symptoms may be severe. As we age, the elements that make up the spinal column often degenerate and decompose causing the spinal canal to narrow due to disc material or bone spurs. This narrowing causes compression on spinal nerves, resulting in spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis is most commonly seen in two areas, the back and the neck.
Though painless in some cases, spinal stenosis may cause a number of patients to experience severe pain and uncomfortable symptoms. Depending on the area of the narrowing, patients may experience some or all of the below symptoms in their back, neck, arms or legs. Some of the most commonly treated symptoms related to spinal stenosis include:
There are many treatment plans to help relieve the symptoms of spinal stenosis including non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory medication to release the inflammatory swelling pressure on the nerves, and losing weight can also relieve some of the load on the spine. In such cases where conservative treatment does not relieve the symptoms, surgery may be suggested to relieve the pressure on the affected nerves. Meeting with one of our spinal specialists to discuss your options will help answer any questions you might have and start to get your pain free life back.
Smoking, obesity, and your family’s history can put you at a higher risk for spinal stenosis. Age can also increase the chances of spinal stenosis, with one out of every 1000 patients over 65 developing it over time, according to the NIH.
Lumbar stenosis is more common than cervical stenosis and affects more than 200,000 people in the United States, according to PubMed Central.
Since no two people are alike, the best treatment for spinal stenosis varies from patient to patient. Your doctor will assess your symptoms and determine the best treatment for your needs.
If you need spinal stenosis treatment from experienced medical professionals, contact New York Spine Specialist. Call today!
