Your spine connects your brain and peripheral nervous system and is crucial to your ability to bend, twist, stand, and sit. Your spinal cord houses bones, nerves, joints, tissues, and discs and can be the source of a variety of mild, chronic, or severe pain.
At Brain and Spine Institute of New York & New Jersey with several convenient locations in New Jersey and New York, Arien Smith, MD, FACS and our team are passionate about helping you get your pain under control so you can live an active and happy life. Across the world, back pain is the number one cause of disability. It’s estimated that 80% of all people will suffer at some point in their lives. One condition that our team specializes in is spinal stenosis. Let’s take a closer look at this troubling condition.
Your spinal cord is a long cylindrical structure that’s encased in a tunnel-like structure in your back. When that tunnel narrows or degenerates, spinal stenosis develops. Anyone can develop this painful back condition, but your risks increase as you get older. It’s a leading cause of spinal surgery in people over 60. You’re prone to spinal stenosis if you have osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, develop a tumor, or have a spinal fracture from an injury.
Some of the telltale symptoms of spinal stenosis include:
In most cases, these symptoms are mild at first, but get worse over weeks and months.
Before your provider recommends a surgical solution, we work with you to make an official diagnosis. We meet with you to talk about your health and family history and customize some noninvasive treatments that may help restore your quality of life, such as:
If your provider determines that surgery is the best way forward, you’ll begin discussions about the best possible treatment for you.
To get started with your spinal care and pain management program, call to make an appointment at one of our offices closest to you.
