What Is Spinal Stenosis?

Spinal Stenosis is simply any tightening around the spinal cord that leads to nerve compression and either pain, weakness, or numbness. It can also compress the nerve roots, but this is usually termed foraminal stenosis since the area where the nerves exit is called the foramen. Spinal stenosis can compress the nerves as it exits the spinal column such as in foraminal stenosis or it can compress the nerve as it descends to the next level down. Thus, it is important to confirm the diagnosis since decompressing the incorrect area will not resolve the problem. In conventional surgery this is usually not a problem since so much bone can be removed as to decompress several levels of the cord. These mass decompressions can lead to spinal instability later in life and then lead to foraminal stenosis later on. Our techniques involve decompression of the areas that need decompression and nothing else. Minimal tissue is damaged and the spinal structure is mostly intact.

The above are all signs associated with spinal and foraminal stenosis. The enlargement of the joints compresses the nerves as they exit from the spinal column., The reduced height associated with disc collapse leads to shrinkage of the foraminal canal where the nerves exit and thus lead to compression as well. The biggest problem isn't seen on this picture and is due to the development of spurs on the bones of the vertebral column and these make the space smaller similar to how a sink gets clogged with calcium deposits over time.

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