Non-Surgical Treatments to Explore for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

When the openings within the vertebra of the lower back narrow, this condition is referred to as lumbar spinal stenosis. It can cause chronic pain, muscle weakness, and even dizziness and headaches. Maintaining an active lifestyle can become increasingly difficult and soon, people are unable to walk or even stand for long. While surgery is certainly an option that people can explore, many do not want to undergo the invasive process. Luckily, there are some non-surgical treatments that you can also try out for lumbar spinal stenosis. 

The symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) have shown to respond positively to nonsurgical treatments. Some of the options that are usually considered are:

Physical therapy

The primary treatment used for lumbar spinal stenosis comprises of a guided program of exercise and physical therapy that’s formulated specifically for targeting the underlying cause of the problem. Exercise and physical therapy can improve the mobility of the lower body, provide symptom relief, prevent flare-up and pain recurrence, restore function of the lumbar spine and foster a better healing environment for the back. 

Self-care and activity modification

You can also relieve lumbar spinal stenosis pain by modifying your daily activities and exercising caution when you are doing certain tasks. This includes avoiding standing for extensive periods, maintaining a healthy weight in order to reduce stress on the pelvic joints and spine, walking with support by leaning forward on a walker, cane or shopping cart, applying heat therapy before you engage in physical activities for improving blood flow to the muscles and relaxing the soft tissues and using ice therapy for about 10 to 15 minutes when you experience pain.

Injection treatments

Injections have also been found to be effective in treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis because they reduce spinal inflammation and can also inhibit or stop the transmission of pain signals to the brain from the spine. Epidural injections are commonly used, which usually deposit medication, mostly steroids, in the spine’s epidural space. Vertos Medical has come up with a Mild procedure, which is similar to an epidural steroid injection, but provides better results. It helps you walk farther, stand longer and with less pain, which explains why Vertos Med Inc. is a great option. 

Alternative treatments

You can also treat lumbar spinal stenosis with alternative treatments, which includes manual manipulation, acupuncture and therapeutic massage. Mobilization and manipulation of the spinal tissues can relieve spinal stenosis pain. Flexion-distraction manipulation is a common technique used for this purpose. Acupuncture helps by stimulating tight lumbar muscles, which reduces muscle strain, increases blood flow, promotes healing and minimizes back pain. Swedish and deep tissue massages are also considered helpful because they can reduce spasms and loosen tight muscles. This helps improve the blood flow and enhance the overall range of motion in the lower legs and back. 

Medications

The use of prescription or over-the-counter medications is also another way of relieving the pain associated with lumbar spinal stenosis. There are different types of drugs that can be used for this purpose. You can consider nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include naproxen and ibuprofen. But, they should be used with caution due to their gastrointestinal effects in the long run. 

Gabapentinoids are another option to consider, like pregablin and gabapentin, which inhibits nerve pain caused by LSS. Prostaglandin analogs are another category to check out. It comprises of drugs like limaprost that’s helpful in improving circulation of blood in the spinal arteries, which means the compressive nerve gets improved blood flow and this eventually relieves pain. 

A combination of these treatments can be quite effective in treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis without resorting to surgery.