Spinal Stenosis Treatment

Lumbar spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal that squeezes the nerves, typically causing leg pain or heaviness when walking that eases when sitting or bending forward. A trial in Annals of Internal Medicine (Delitto, 2015) found surgery and physical therapy gave similar results at two years for many patients.

Spinal stenosis treatment

• Physical therapy focusing on flexion-based exercise and walking
• Cycling (often easier than walking)
• Pain relief
• Epidural steroid injections for some patients
• Regenerative injections for related disc or joint pain are being studied

Back or leg pain for more than 6 weeks? Get the free guide and a doctor review of your scan.

Spinal stenosis surgery

Decompression (laminectomy) can help when symptoms are severe, walking distance keeps shrinking, or there is nerve weakness. Fusion is added only when the spine is unstable. See fusion alternatives.