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DiscussionHas anyone suffered from lumbar spinal stenosis? Did you have surgery?
Spine Health | Last Active: Sep 13, 2022 | Replies (91)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "I have severe spinal stenosis I am having problems with blurred vision does anyone suffer from..."
@eileenpetko You may be interested in these articles from MSK Neurology. They are written for physical therapists and are long. See the section on Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. This is more common with spine patients because the same injury that can cause a spine problem can also trigger TOS which can affect vision.
https://mskneurology.com/atlas-joint-instability-causes-consequences-solutions/
"Thoracic outlet syndrome can lead to symptoms of vertebrobasilar insufficiency, such as vertigo, confusion, and blurred vision, especially during cervical rotation and/or extension. It may also cause migraines, thunderclap headaches and more. And, as mentioned, although this may seem to be a vestibular dysfunction, it may turn out to be of vascular origin. It may also cause entrapment of the vagus and phrenic nerves, as well as the whole brachial plexus, affecting the autonomic nervous system and causing many diffuse issues, such as coughing, tinnitus, clogged ear syndrome, chest pain, heart pain, dry throat, hiccups, difficulty breathing and even atrial fibrillation. Read more in my thoracic outlet syndrome article."
https://mskneurology.com/how-truly-treat-thoracic-outlet-syndrome/
I have TOS, and have had a cervical spine problem with a collapsed C5/C6 disc with spinal cord compression (stenosis). I had successful spine surgery at Mayo, but I still have TOS and work on that with physical therapy.
Do you have any arm symptoms with pain and your hands turning blue or purple? That could be TOS, and it is often missed by doctors. have you heard of TOS before?
@eileenpetko yes, I know what you mean. Is your stenosis in the cervical spine? Does your doc give you steroids or baclofen? So far, my symptoms are temporary after a movement mistake (looking up!) but afraid someday soon they will last a lot longer.