Spinal stenosis occurs when the space surrounding your spinal cord narrows and causes pain and mobility problems. If you’re one of the 250,000-500,000 Americans living with this condition, you’re well aware of how it can alter your life for the worse.
Spinal stenosis is linked to many causes, including osteoarthritis, spinal fractures, and tumors. But what about another extremely common condition — a herniated disc? This is when a bit of the soft gel-like center of your disc pushes through a crack or opening in your disc’s tough outer shell.
David Westra, MD, and Katherine Wagner, MD, at Ventura Neurosurgery in Midtown, Ventura, California, combine their talents and expertise to deliver the most advanced care to their patients, whether they’re dealing with spinal stenosis, sciatica, or another uncomfortable condition.
Our team is dedicated to accurately diagnosing you, creating an individualized treatment plan, and addressing all your questions and concerns.
In this post, we discuss whether and how a herniated disc and spinal stenosis are related.
Spinal stenosis most often occurs in your lumbar spine (lower back) or cervical spine (upper back). Troubling symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis include:
Meanwhile, cervical spinal stenosis manifests as:
The majority of people experiencing spinal stenosis have the acquired type, meaning symptoms start after birth, but a congenital type impacts others.
There’s no question about it: Spinal stenosis is uncomfortable and disruptive.
Herniated discs can develop for a variety of reasons, including improper lifting, traumatic injury, natural aging, or disc degeneration that can lead to problems such as sciatica (compression of the sciatic nerve).
If you’re coping with a herniated disc where its soft center is taking up valuable space in your spinal canal, spinal stenosis can result. If your spinal stenosis symptoms can be traced to a herniated disc, we’ve got treatments that can address both conditions successfully.
We offer a range of conservative options to ease your herniated disc discomfort, including physical therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication, and epidural injections. However, sometimes a surgical solution is necessary, such as:
If we treat your herniated disc promptly, we can hopefully prevent the development of spinal stenosis. However, if a herniated disc does cause spinal stenosis, we can deliver treatment to remedy that condition as well.
Conservative approaches include physical therapy, weight loss to relieve the pressure on your spine, and a specially designed program of stretching and exercise. We also offer epidural steroid injections and pain medications.
If more aggressive treatment is called for with spinal stenosis, we can perform TLIF and XLIF surgery, outlined above, or a laminectomy, where your surgeon removes part or all of your vertebral bone ( your lamina). All of these approaches serve to decompress your spine.
Whenever possible, we use minimally invasive techniques that involve smaller incisions. These procedures are associated with faster recovery, less bleeding, reduced scarring and pain, and a lower risk of infection.
If a herniated disc has disrupted your life — or led to spinal stenosis — don’t hesitate to contact Ventura Neurosurgery to schedule an appointment. Contact our office today by calling 805-590-4365 or book online.
