Signs of spinal canal stenosis in the lumbar
- Legs feel heavy, painful and numb
- You often have to stop when walking
- Bending over forward relieves pain, so you tend to bend over when walking or support yourself on a shopping trolley
Spinal stenosis
Rapid assessment, diagnosis and treatment
Degenerative changes in the spine can constrict the spinal canal, leading to the development of back and leg pain, numbness in the legs and reduced mobility.At Schoen Clinic, our team of spinal experts specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of all aspects of back diseases, brought on by wear and tear, or other causes. Whether conservative treatment or surgery – we will always advise on the right treatment for you.
What is spinal stenosis?
In lumbar spinal stenosis, the spinal nerve roots and/or cauda equina become compressed by the narrowing of the spinal canal. In cases of spinal stenosis, this narrowing can be the result of overgrowth of bone, or 'bone spurs' (osteophytes) protruding into the spinal canal. This is made worse by the buckling of the ligamentum flavum and/or bulging of the discs.
When nerves are compressed they can produce symptoms of pain, numbness or tingling in the area of the leg that the particular spinal nerve supplies. In rare cases they can produce severe pain and even weakness in the legs, such that the legs 'don't work'. In most cases, the symptoms are produced when standing or walking and are relieved by sitting or bending forward. In rare cases the nerves which control your bladder, bowel and sexual function can be compressed. This is known as cauda equina syndrome (CES) and often requires urgent surgical intervention. Fortunately, immediate spinal surgery is only necessary in a few cases.
Diagnosing spinal stenosis requires experience
There are many symptoms of spinal canal stenosis and they can also fit other diseases of the spine. With thorough diagnostic tests, we can find the cause of your problems and initiate the appropriate treatment.
Every diagnosis at Schoen Clinic London begins with an extensive consultation and a thorough physical examination. After assessment we can confirm the diagnosis with imaging methods and precisely determine the location and extent of the narrowing. Whether you need an exact diagnosis, conservative treatment or precise disc surgery – you will benefit from the experience of our spine specialists.
Surgery is not always necessary
Once we have diagnosed that you have spinal canal stenosis, we use various treatment methods, depending on the severity and the symptoms. Our consultants and therapists will develop an individual treatment concept for you.
If the narrowing of the vertebral canal is not yet very advanced, conservative measures such as physiotherapy can often help. The goal of our treatment programme is to relieve your pain significantly and improve your quality of life.
Spinal injections
In some cases, spinal injections, that can be performed as a day case procedure, may be appropriate and can relieve some of the pain and discomfort associated with spinal stenosis.
Lumbar Spinal stenosis surgery
In many cases most conservative treatments (manipulation, physiotherapy, medication or injections) are unlikely to be of much long-term benefit, and the symptoms rarely improve permanently without surgery to take the pressure off the nerves (decompression).
The objective of surgery is to remove the material (for example the excess bone and ‘thickened’ ligament) from the back of the spinal canal to give the nerve roots and/or cauda equina more room.
The nature of spinal surgery is not to ‘cure’ and it cannot prevent further degeneration of the spine but is aimed at providing benefit with a good percentage of improvement and relief of leg symptoms. Good relief from leg symptoms following decompression surgery usually occurs in approximately 70–80% of cases. This is not necessarily felt immediately, but over a period of time, often several months.
Aftercare: Smooth return to everyday life
It is very normal to experience some level of discomfort/pain after the surgery. The experienced nursing and medical staff at Schoen Clinic will help you to control this with appropriate medication. The symptoms in your legs may fluctuate due to increased swelling around the nerves. This can take a few weeks to settle. The ward physiotherapist will visit you after your operation to teach you exercises and help you out of bed. They will show you the correct way to move safely. Once you are confident and independently mobile, you will be encouraged to keep as mobile as possible.
Spinal stenosis: Our specialists
Whether you need an exact diagnosis, conservative treatment or precise disc surgery – you will benefit from the experience of our spine specialists.
Dr Roger Wolman
Schoen Clinic Orthopaedic and Spinal Hospital London
Consultant - Rheumatology
Consultant - Sports & Exercise Medicine
Consultant Rheumatology and Sport & Exercise MedicineMD (Res) FRCP FFSEM
Mr Peter Hamlyn
Schoen Clinic Orthopaedic and Spinal Hospital London
Head of Department - Back & Spine
Consultant NeurosurgeonMB BS BSc MD FRCS FISM
Mr Colin Natali
Schoen Clinic Orthopaedic and Spinal Hospital London
Head of Department - Back & Spine
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
MBBS FRCS FRCS (Orth)
Mr Stewart Tucker
Schoen Clinic Orthopaedic and Spinal Hospital London
Head of Department - Back & Spine
Consultant Orthopaedic SurgeonMBBS FRCS(Eng) FRCS(Orth)
Mr Hanny Anwar
Schoen Clinic Orthopaedic and Spinal Hospital London
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon - Back & Spine
Consultant Orthopaedic SurgeonBMedSci MBBS MRCS FRCS(Tr&Orth)
Mr David Cumming
Schoen Clinic Orthopaedic and Spinal Hospital London
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon - Back & Spine
Consultant Orthopaedic SurgeonMBChB FRCS(Tr&Orth)
Mr Irfan Malik
Schoen Clinic Orthopaedic and Spinal Hospital London
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon - Back & Spine
Consultant NeurosurgeonMBBS, FRCS, FCPS, FRCS(SN), MSc
Mrs Anne Mitchener
Schoen Clinic Orthopaedic and Spinal Hospital London
Consultant Neurosurgeon - Back & Spine
Consultant NeurosurgeonBSc PhD MB BCHIR FRCS FRCS(SN)
Mr Alex Montgomery
Schoen Clinic Orthopaedic and Spinal Hospital London
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon - Back & Spine
Consultant Orthopaedic SurgeonMBChB MRCS DIPL(Orth Eng) FRCS
Mr Vittorio Russo
Schoen Clinic Orthopaedic and Spinal Hospital London
Consultant Neurosurgeon - Back & Spine
Consultant Neurosurgeon
MD
Mr Rohit Shetty
Schoen Clinic Orthopaedic and Spinal Hospital London
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon - Back & Spine
Consultant Orthopaedic SurgeonMS(Orth) DNB(Orth) FRCS(Tr&Orth) Dip(Tr&Orth)
Mr Alagappan Sivaraman
Schoen Clinic Orthopaedic and Spinal Hospital London
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon - Back & Spine
Consultant Orthopaedic SurgeonFRCS (Eng) FRCS (Ed) FRCS (Orth)
Dr Philip Batty
Schoen Clinic Orthopaedic and Spinal Hospital London
Consultant - Sports & Exercise Medicine
Consultant Sport and Exercise PhysicianMB ChB, MRCGP, FFSEM
Spinal stenosis: Our specialised hospital
Schoen Clinic specialises in the treatment of acute and chronic disc herniation (disc prolapse).
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Schoen Clinic Orthopaedic and Spinal Hospital London
Schoen Clinic Orthopaedic and Spinal Hospital London
66 Wigmore Street
London W1U 2SB
Tel: +44 20 3929 0801
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