Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis is a medical condition in which the spinal canal narrows and leads to compression of the spinal cord and nerves.

This narrowing may involve one or several vertebral levels. Symptoms may be lumbosciatica and/or “neurogenic claudication”, in which the patient feels numbness, pain or weakness of the legs while walking.
Nowadays, this pathology may also be solved with MIS techniques such as Minimally invasive decompression for lumbar canal stenosis.
Nerve roots may be globally compressed by stenosis of the lumbar canal which they travel through before exiting the spine. Patients refer inability to walk and need to stop often. High-speed drilling is performed targeting the compressing laminae. Performed through MIS approaches. May be supplemented by screws or a motion sparing device. Under general anesthesia. Patients are discharged the following day or day 2 though hospital stay can also be between 2 and 5 days and depends on the patient postoperative evolution.
Pain is usually relieved after surgery. A percentage of people may still feel pain after surgery that will improve progressively. During the first 2-3 weeks, you should avoid very low sitting positions and lifting or carrying heavy objects.
Recovery depends on each patient. Usually it takes around 2-6 weeks.

Sources:

Dr. Vicenç Gilete, MD, Neurosurgeon & Spine Surgeon.

Neurosurgery volumes I–III. Edited by Robert H. Wilkins and Setti S. Rengachary. McGraw-Hill.

Handbook of Neurosurgery. Mark S.Greenberg, Seventh Edition. Thieme.

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