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Has anyone dealt successfully with Cervical stenosis without surgery?
Spine Health | Last Active: Jul 17 5:54pm | Replies (84)Comment receiving replies
Thank you for your detailed post. I was recently told my X-rays show severe cervical Foraminal stenosis. The next step is an MRI. My issues have been mostly arm and hand pain I’ve had on and off for years. X-rays show worsening since 2019.
I will know more after the MRI results. Surgery is scary but I don’t want to discount it if it ends up being necessary.
One thing I’d like to know is are there things we can do to either avoid or prolong the need for surgery without risking permanent damage.
I wonder if there are special pillows that are recommended. Also if there are helpful stretches and exercises that can help without causing harm.
Replies to "@jenniferhunter Thank you for your detailed post. I was recently told my X-rays show severe cervical..."
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@isabelle7 Hi Isabelle. Thanks for your question. I think your MRI will show a lot more of what is going on. The foramen are the spaces between the vertebral bodies where the nerve roots exit the spinal cord. Those spaces get closed down by arthritic bone growth and discs that herniate into that space. Also a collapsing disc will narrow the space between vertebrae bones and narrow the foramen. The vertebrae rests on the disc with 80% of the weight there and 20% on the facet joints. When a disc collapses, it puts more pressure on the facets which then may become arthritic.
I had stenosis inside the central canal, and did not have stenosis in the foramen, but my disc had collapsed 50% of it's height, and if I was side bending my neck, I could cause a sharp burning pain because the bone could contact the nerve in that smaller space.
According to my surgeon, the best way to support the spine is by maintaining core strength. That is important to maintain proper posture. Bad slouching posture will put pressure on the discs and can help wear them out. With aging, discs dry out a bit on their own. If you have severe stenosis pinching a nerve, there probably isn't much you can do to offset that and try to keep good posture to minimize aggravating it. Your doctors will not be able to tell you exactly when permanent nerve damage is going to happen. If you have muscles that are wasting away and you are getting weaker, it may be from a compressed nerve and possible damage. Decompressing the nerve may help, but it is possible that you won't get all the muscle back, and it's possible that you could still be in pain.
I think you need more information. A physical therapist is a good source for knowing what is safe to do, and what is not, but they also need an evaluation of your spine before they can work on you. Based on the word "serious", you may get a recommendation for surgery, and the spine surgeon needs to evaluate and interpret the imaging results. Often they read it themselves and don't pay attention to the radiologists' report. Generally speaking, it's better to decompress a nerve early rather than later because the nerve may be able to recover and thus avoid permanent damage. That is a complex decision of course about your entire spine and general health.