Stenosis

Spinal stenosis is a condition in which the open canal of your spine narrows and closes down. This narrowing can put pressure on the spinal nerves resulting in significant pain. The narrowing can also create compression on the spinal cord, causing weakness in the arms and legs. The most common causes of spinal stenosis are disc herniations, bone spurs, and overgrowth of the facet joints, which narrow the space available for your nerves.

Stenosis of the spine is more common in the neck (the cervical region) or the low back (the lumbar region). As a result, symptoms are often found in these two areas, and can include any of the following tingling, weakness, or numbness in the extremities; leg cramps; pain in the neck, back or legs. Severe cases, when the narrowing causes nerve damage, can also include loss of movement and loss of bladder control.