The Spinal Stenosis Treatment Your Doctor Will Recommend

Because spinal stenosis has different causes, a doctor may recommend different treatment methods to individual patients, knowing that certain treatments will work best for each patient's particular condition. Doctors will generally refer patients to nonsurgical spinal stenosis treatment immediately after delivering the diagnosis. These conservative treatment methods can include such things as bed rest, physical therapy, hot/cold therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and possibly even epidural steroid injections. Patients should not expect to find complete relief immediately, but steady, consistent treatment can significantly help to reduce the pain, discomfort, stiffness, numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, and muscle spasms that may result from spinal stenosis.

Is Surgery a Treatment Option for Spinal Stenosis?

Yes, surgery is an option for spinal stenosis treatment. However, spine surgery is almost always elective, and it is typically regarded as a last-resort treatment method when conservative treatment doesn't seem to be doing the trick. Surgery is recommended against at first because, many times, conservative treatment works to relieve patients of the spinal stenosis symptoms. As with all surgeries, spine surgery is a big investment that comes with risks and a recovery process. Consult with physicians, do some research on your own, and talk with your family and friends to see if surgery is right for you before jumping into it.

What is Minimally Invasive Laser Surgery?

Open back surgery like spinal fusion has been performed for more than 60 years to treat degenerative spinal conditions like spinal stenosis, but there is a popular alternative to open spine surgery that has been performed for a few decades now. This alternative is endoscopic laser surgery that requires only local anesthesia and deep IV sedation without an overnight hospital stay. During these procedures, surgeons use a very small scope that is connected to a television monitor to see directly into the spine without actually exposing the spine with a large incision. A laser and other surgical tools are used to treat whatever is causing the spinal stenosis, whether it is a herniated disc, spondylolisthesis, or something else. Once the small (one inch or less) incision for endoscopic surgery is closed, patients are free to go home within a couple hours and will be able to resume their daily activities in as little as two weeks.