How Obesity May Contribute to Spinal Stenosis Development

The development of spinal stenosis often is related to obesity. Just as people who are unable to maintain a healthy body weight are susceptible to serious health problems like hypertension and heart disease, the strain placed upon the spinal anatomy because of excess weight can hasten the development of the conditions that cause a narrowing (stenosis) of the spinal canal. This, in turn, can lead to the compression of spinal nerves (including the spinal cord and its nerve roots), which produces pain, tingling, numbness, and muscle weakness in the extremities.

A Difficult Cycle to Break

One of the best ways to combat obesity - in addition to eating right - is exercise. However, if excess weight leads to the development of nerve-related pain and other symptoms related to spinal stenosis, it can be difficult to perform the physical activity associated with an effective exercise regimen. In turn, the failure to get enough exercise can exacerbate the spinal stenosis symptoms. It's a cycle that can be difficult to break, which is why it is important to focus on maintaining a healthy weight before one or more of the following degenerative spine conditions arise:

What Can Be Done?

People who find themselves in the seemingly unbreakable cycle of back or neck pain related to obesity need not automatically turn to surgery as a solution for spinal stenosis or other degenerative spine conditions. While it may be difficult, a doctor or physical therapist should be able to develop a conservative treatment plan - including a certain level of physical activity - that can provide adequate symptom management. Other conservative methods, such as anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroid injections, may be able to provide enough pain relief to allow overweight patients to begin a doctor-approved exercise regimen. The keys are communication between the patient and the medical team, as well as education about the nature of spinal stenosis on the part of the patient.