Lumbar Spinal Stenosis refers to the pinched nerves in the lumbar spine and the typical symptom is increasing pain in the leg with walking. This tends to lessen the activity of an individual. Typically, patients suffering from Lumbar spinal stenosis experience extreme pain while walking and find almost immediate relief when they rest. The severity of symptoms differs from person to person and is not progressive over time.
The typical symptoms of Lumbar spinal stenosis includes :
The treatment for Lumbar Spinal stenosis is majorly a combination of the below :
A physician will be able to prescribe pain medications that will help with immediate pain relief.
Patients suffering from this condition tend to get inactive which is not desirable since reduced activity will weaken the muscles thereby resulting in more pain. Hence it is recommended that they follow an exercise regime to keep themselves active. This will help them build endurance and strengthen the spine over time. A physical therapist can help with a customized plan basis the comfort level of the patient. Stationary biking or swimming maybe beneficial in most cases. Yoga is another extremely effective therapy that aids with pain relief. It not only helps with physical fitness but also helps relieve stress.
A physical therapist will be able to advice on posture changes that help with pain relief. For eg, using a cane or walker and leaning forward while walking helps a lot of patients in easing leg pain.
Avoiding spice food, cold items, root vegetables also is believed to help ease the pain.
Ayurvedic & Panchakarma treatments procedures like kati vasti, abhyanga, swedana(fomentation), application of herbal paste, vasti(enema) have also been beneficial in helping with effective long lasting pain relief without any side effects.
Surgery is advised only when a patient’s ability to participate in the everyday routine is extremely reduced due to debilitating pain and after having tried all the above procedures with no results.
