Severe spinal stenosis

That's an optimistic outlook Willow, thanks. And all the best to you on the upcoming surgery.

I've had sciatica twice. The first was from a herniated disc and that eventually resolved, but the back of my left leg - hamstrings mostly and calf - would get stabbing pain that was very hard to live with. It seemed to abate when I laid down so sleeping was ok. It resolved after about two months.

The second attack of sciatica was on my right side. This time part of the disc at S1/L5 had ruptured and was "floating" in my spinal canal. I had surgery to remove the ruptured disc material and smooth out arthritis spurs in the spinal canal (laminotomy).

That was all well over 10 years ago. We moved and I have a new surgeon. He said I have a strong core muscle group and that is holding my lumbar spine together. He also said if sciatica comes back, I'll need fusion.

I'll certainly get that done, but don't look forward to it. But thanks for the optimistic news about returning to life without restrictions. I love spinning and would like to keep at it.

Thanks again Willow and all the best!

Joe

Hi,
Thanks for a reply. What device are you referring? I have tried TENS ( electrical muscular stimulation) and it works very well. My unit is old so in the market for a new one.

Checkout NeuroMD on web

For all of the people on here experiencing pain from a compromised spine (well, that's everyone) - I learned recently that stress from chronic pain can increase the resting heart rate. Stress from pain causes the body to produce more cortisol, and this affects the heart.

I'm not a huge fan of supplements, but one that I've taken in the past has worked, l-theanine. It's supposed to help calm and reduce stress. I'm not sure that it made me feel a lot better, but it did seem to ease my stress levels.

Getting good quality supplements can be a challenge. I buy all of mine from Pure Encapsulations. These are expensive, but they do seem to be of high quality.

http://www.pureencapsulations.com

All the best to all of you!

Joe

haha - I'll play doctor then - (but its common sense ;-). the reason you have problems in the morning (as most of us do - is because your body has been laying horizontal all night and the fluids back up. When you wake and transfer to a vertical position the fluids are needing to reposition and redistribute themselves. It takes 45 minutes (average) for this to occur. Weather/barometric pressure change exacerbates my problems as does cold. Also, food/alcohol can wreak some havoc. We are 96% water and that has an impact. My suggestion would be for you to check out the weather and salts you may consume. I have edema. That is also a problem as too much salts retain extra water putting pressure on my joints. Try to increase your circulation throughout the day (a little walk several times) so when you go to bed it won't be as bad in the morning. Also, gentle self-massage before bed and definitely upon waking. Stretch what you can, and you will be able to stretch more as days go by. Alcohol is a trigger as it dehydrates you and then your body rushes while sleeping to normalize your moisture balance. Stenosis is the channels getting smaller to push your bloodstream through. If you have edema, like I do, it is more difficult because there is more pressure on the stenosis joints when you sleep upon waking. Self massage really helps. Get some periodic acupuncture in if you can afford it - it keeps the circulation moving.

Would love to know your self massage techniques

here are a bunch! I didn't know if you like to read them or watch videos so you can choose what you like: https://www.google.com/search

Hey Mick hope you are feeling better. I have spinal stenosis as well.

When you say it is noticeable when you get up, what are your symptoms? When my stenosis got bad, it pinched the sciatic nerve causing stabbing pain in my hamstrings and calf, only on one side.

My point is that stenosis is rarely felt at the origin in the lower back. It usually squeezes a nerve in the spinal canal, causing pain in the back of the legs and buttocks.

The best thing to do for arthritis pain is to ice the joint, in this case the lumbar spine. Don't apply heat as it draws in blood and worsens inflammation.

I did have a laminotomy about 10 years ago to file off some of the arthritis inside the spinal canal. That's a conservative approach. Fusion is also a possibility. I haven't had it (yet) and it would be a last resort.

All the best to you. Joe

Yes, yes I do. Thank you for asking.

i too have severe stenosis. active release therapy , done by a chiropractor, has saved me. it’s reduced nerve pain substantially and got me back walking without pain. not sure how far cuz i’m only three sessions in. but boy has it been a lifesaver as i was wracked with pain for over a month.