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LUMBAR
STENOSIS
Dr. Darrow
Frequently
Discusses
Back Pain
On His
Radio
Program
QUESTION
FROM CALLER:
I am
neurologist,
I have a lot
of patients
that have
lumbar
stenosis
with a lot
of pain,
weakness,
and loss of
balance. For
various
reasons,
medical
problems,
they are not
good
surgical
candidates
or they do
not want
surgery.
Dr. Darrow:
A lot of
people by
the time
they get
lumbar
stenosis are
older, and
they are not
that great a
surgical
candidate.
Lumbar
Stenosis is
an area in
the low back
right above
the buttocks
muscle where
the
vertebrae
starts
compressing
down on the
spinal cord
because as
we age, very
often there
is mobility
in that
lower back
area and the
bones can
actually try
to
hypertrophy
(to grow
more bone.)
In the facet
joints,
where we get
stenosis, in
the facet
joints,
between the
vertebrae,
what happens
is when we
age, and
with over
use or just
arthritis,
the area
where the
spinal cord
is encased
becomes very
small or the
areas where
the spinal
nerves where
they come
off the
spinal cord
and goes
down the
legs or
arms, and
become
stenosed or
small, and
cause a type
of sciatica.
What we do
with these
people is
try to
stabilize
the spine,
now if there
is a smaller
canal for
the nerves
to go
through and
the spinal
cord to go
through if
there is
motion and
mobility in
the
vertebrae,
any minor
mobility is
going to
cause a
problem of
irritating
the nerves
and causing
these funny
feeling in
the feet or
loss of
balance.
We align the
spine with
chiropractic,
with
strengthen
the spine
with
MedX,
the
paraspinal
muscles, and
Prolotherapy
which
strengthen
the
ligaments
that support
the
vertebrae.
Sometimes we
found what
works very
well for
spinal
stenosis or
cervical
stenosis in
the neck is
very simple
traction. By
putting a
belt around
the abdomen
and the
legs, we can
kind of
stretch the
vertebrae
apart and
let these
nerves heal
up a little
bit.
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