What helps spinal stenosis besides surgery?

I have the Neuro MD device. It is a 20” treatment applied to your back. Similar to a Tens, it works well to temporarily eliminate back pain. It does not fix the underlying pathology of spine disease. Hoping you find some relief.

Was just diagnosed with spinal stenosis.
Pain is around the shoulder blades, particularly when walking.
I have started with PT.
I am seeing a spinal doc. in two weeks.
What questions should I ask?
I am feeling that the prognosis is not very positive.

@gocy Could you be more specific about where your spinal stenosis is? If you have shoulder pain, it may be in the cervical area. Is it spinal cord compression and/or compression of the nerves that exit the spinal cord between the vertebrae?

PT can help strengthen the core muscles which help to support the spine, and with anything spine related, posture is very important. That may reduce symptoms and buy some time without surgery. If the PT fails, that may be an indication that surgery is needed.

If you find yourself on a track toward surgery, it helps to get several opinions before making a decision. Some surgeons are all too eager to operate, and others take a conservative approach and want to make surgery that you would have enough benefit from surgery to balance against the risks from the surgery.

I would suggest writing down your symptoms. Describe your pain and how it changes when you change body positions, such as sitting, laying down, standing, etc. Does a specific movement increase or decrease pain? Ask a surgeon how they know that your specific pain is related to a specific spine problem, and what tests do they need to do to confirm this? Something may seem like a spine problem, and could be pain caused by a nerve elsewhere in the body where it could be compressed. Pain felt along the nerve feels the same and it may be hard to determine exactly where the problem is. That is where a neurologist can help with testing. Some of that is uncomfortable, but they can help narrow down a problems and exclude other problems that have similar symptoms. A physical therapist can also explain a lot and help you formulate questions for your surgeon based of what they see when they evaluate you. They often rehab patients after surgery and know about specific surgeons in the area.

I had severe back pain and three MRIs indicated that I had spinal stenosis. The doctors here wanted to operate and said they could get rid of my pain but not another pain that I have lower in my back. So I decided not to do the operation if they couldn’t fix both pains. I am now pain-free, and believe it was all because of yoga I became a yoga teacher . I think you should start with some simple yoga like the cat stretch and the bridge pose. See if this brings relief and if not, it will at least bring some peace of mind close your eyes while you practice. Focus inward

@mimiflam You make an excellent point. Yoga is a form of myofascial release, and releasing the tight stuck fascia lets the body move again and clear the waste products out that have been stored there. When you move your spine, you could be relieving pressure that can build when muscle spasms have taken over in the neck or back. All that pressure on the bones in the spine can cause problems if it is uneven pressure. Uneven pressure on the end plates of the vertebra causes bone growth like bone spurs to form and the bone remodels. If there is also a disc that is weakened and collapsing, it just adds to that problem. Our bodies were meant to move.

One thing I can say about stretching is that if you have a disc that is very weakened (as I did), it doesn't take much to rupture it. All I had to do was turn my head when I was stretching, and my C5/C6 ruptured and my head suddenly turned further. It didn't hurt, but it just felt weird and kind of queasy and there was a sound when it happened. It was going to happen anyway, but once that jelly like disc material escaped, the inflammation caused bone spurs to grow quickly, and I was on a path to surgery. It is important to know your spine condition and to know and listen to what your body says. Be gentle, and not aggressive about stretching to avoid injuries. Remodeling the fascia takes time while you hold a gentle stretch.

Here is our discussion about myofascial release therapy that may be of interest.

— Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
Have you heard of Myofascial Release Therapy?

Thank you for the thoughtful response.
I am comfortable in bed. Standing and walking results in pain around the shoulder blades Overall, I have migrating pains across the the traps and into lats. In the right chair, pain dissipates some. My PT said to stay away from movements above the jaw. I take two gabopentins and a muscle relaxer at night. I also take two arthritis tylenol three times a day.
I am a regular at the fitness center. I had a trainer for ten years. I stopped for 15 months due to the pandemic. Then I continued working out five days a week without a trainer.

Can anyone tell me the pain After having Verta flex procedure without being put to sleep

I just saw an orthopedic spine surgeon who is recommending surgery if injections are unsuccessful. It is directly related to the collapse of my L4-5 disc. The last doctor is saw over a year ago only advocated conservative measures which I do religiously, but have had no success in relieving pain symptoms. This includes PT (over a year); daily HEP program; daily walks; myofacsial release therapy weekly; and ice/heat daily. The conservative doctor continues to not advocate for any further interventions even though pain increases; and numbness in legs has begun. I am going to move ahead with an injection and research his idea about surgery. He states the procedure would only involve this disc area. If anyone has had this procedure or ideas, I would greatly appreciate your input. Have as good an evening as you can.

I had severe spinal stenosis years ago and was losing the use of my left leg, after surgery ( over 4hrs insurgery), was able to walk, dance even......without pain. Am now in my 90s,walk with a walker for support, have lost 6 inches in height due to surgery, severe scoliosis, degenerative disc disease ...no more pain!

@migizii It would be advantageous to get several surgical opinions from different doctors. Recovery from lumbar surgery is more difficult than the cervical surgery I had because it is bearing a lot of your body weight through the area. Once done, it can't be undone, and some patients have more pain after surgery. Ask a lot of questions in detail when you are considering surgery. There are options for fusions and artificial discs. Other patients mention devices applied to the outside of the spine that essentially act like a jack to separate the vertebrae instead of removing a collapsed disc. I don't have experience with that as I had a cervical fusion.