severe spinal stenosis and travel

My therapist taught me diaphragm breathing to relieve pain and tension. He also has me doing bridges which he says is the best back exercise. They help me a lot and if my back is aching before I get out of bed I do them while I am still in the bed. Try to get up and walk around whenever you can and try to get an aisle seat. If possible upgrade your seat, I can’t remember what they call them but the seats have more room and recline more than the standard.

Regarding morning stiffness, I usually have to get into a hot bath or shower first thing in the morning. I then end up having to go for a walk with my dogs, which helps limber me up. Sleeping comfortably at night is often my biggest hurdle to feeling rested and well first thing in the morning. I have found a firm tempur-pedic mattress and various options for pillow support has helped.

When I travel now, I generally expect to be on my Rx for naproxen most of the time (+ an Rx for pepcid to help my GI system). I use it as a short course treatment when I either know I will end up hurting a lot or have begun hurting a lot. I also try to travel with Voltaren or its Rx version for a topical option.

Also yes, wheelchair assistance in the airports makes a big difference! Hopefully, you will be traveling through airports that have good assistance programs. I have found that some airports are quite bad at being helpful. But then again, some are amazing!

@gidget1280 it sounds like the sit ups work for the previous poster but i, personally still would not attempt these. i really urge you to check out the exercises by el paso manual therapy on you-tube. it’s his exercises that have gotten me back in my feet and he cautions against any exercises that focus on strengthening the back. he claims the muscles in the back are already over-extended and we should not be focussing on strengthening it. the focus is on gentle core exercises that you can do throughout the day. and at first you shoukd be doing them a lot! if your core muscles are not holding up your spine, then any other back strengthening exercises could injure you further. now that i’m stronger, i do wall and counter “push-ups” to strengthen my upper back. but i’m still focussing on the gentle strengthening of my core muscles. activate those glutes whenever possible! sitting, standing and walking.
if you look up el paso manual therapy, search that title and add spinal stenosis. this guy is all about preventing surgery. he knows his stuff and explains everything very clearly. sending love and healing vibes for your next travel adventures. you can do this! 💖

@mistymom bridges are great for those core muscles!

@fifilacarnivali Thanks so much again for your help.
I just came back from PT. She has emphasized right along the core exercises and that is what I want to concentrate on, yes. I am doing anterior pelvic tilts before getting out of bed and then on floor morning and night…the bridges with band and also in that position leg fallouts and one leg fallouts. Also have the counter push ups in my regime.

I know I have asked you so many questions but please excuse these additional ones ….

1. did you have or has anyone had a "nerve conduction test" ? she suggested that I ask the physical medicine dr about that when I see him in Jan to determine nerve involvement. Frankly I know there is nerve involvement due to the MRI . But I guess it is something they do if injections are given down the road. (Have you had injections by the way?)

2. Did you have times when you just did not feel you could walk anymore with feeling the legs were weak or with achy type pain in calves or other areas of leg?

3.How long would you say it took you to feel stronger as you do today?

I know there is no cure for this but I hope that I will have more of an ease of getting around more "normally" with strengthening the core.

And I will definitely be looking into the El Paso site you mentioned. Thanks so much. It is frustrating and have been in tears about this which I know is awful as there are way worse things. Right now with these trips scheduled back to back it has been hard to address the issue the way I want other than of course being faithful to my PT regime. But I will be looking up the site that has helped you so much as it is so encouraging to me hearing your progress.

Also you mentioned active release therapy…was this from your own Physical Therapist?

Again thanks for answering . I am sure I sound like one nervous wreck over this and guess I am but just want to feel more mobile and am working hard at it but it helps so much to hear from you and others and I so appreciate it❤️

@gidget1280
i have had nerve conduction tests and they are more miss than it. the miss was the conduction did work as to the normal nerves but did nothing to let the doctor know the condition of the pinched nerve group due to a blown out disc that was pinching one of the nerves he tested, they would need a better plan and machine to know the difference in the nerve tripping different by some kind of measure. instead of just showing that they were working., next question 2, about pain walking, oh yeah when that pinched nerve acted up a foot was 20 feet away. you almost could move. 3rd question strengthen the core-has taken me two months to increase to now sit ups of 100 a day. yes i feel better less pain, i just turned 69 years old- ruptured that disc in 2021 dec and they didn't find it till march 2022. no i have not had it fixed i built the core muscles around it and try to not sit too long and i do pretty good till something changes, a fall or turn to sharp to fast etc.i had not mentioned active release therapy that i can remember. well best of luck and blessings from above.

@gidget1280
please do not worry about how you “sound”. i too, was in the desperate state you find yourself in and i know how horrible and upsetting it is. your life has changed and it’s scary as heck. when i first started trying to walk again (more than from counter to counter around my home), it felt like such a daunting task! i was so nervous to walk down the road for fear of not being able to get back! and it was verrry slow walking. i basically had to learn to walk differently ( with tips from the glokhale method and the el paso guy) and would walk a tiny bit more every day.
please feel free to ask any questions any time. ❤️
i have not had a nerve conduction test. my mri showed where the nerve was being pinched and that nerve pain at the time, consumed my thigh, shin and even foot. no amount of lyrica, t-3’s or tramadol was taking that pain away. i thought it was the beginning of the end for me. (i still get the nerve pain but it’s dramatically reduced and nowhere near as debilitating).
i had a pt but heard of active release therapy, which is done by a trained chiropractor. being desperate thought id give it a try. i quickly ditched my pt for the a.r.t.! when i first went to her, i couldn't even even lie on the table i was too broken. (at that time i was “sleeping” on my back with my legs pulled up close to my chest. the only position where i could find any relief at all. ) i went to the a.r.t. twice a week for five weeks. and she got me able to first, lie on my back to tolerate an mri, and then on a plane to bali! i now still go to her every two weeks.
yes i definitely had times i worried i’d end up in a wheelchair. i even had an e.r. doc tell me i would unless i had surgery right away. he and my medical doctor said i should NOT be going to bali as i could end up incontinent or worse, paralyzed! my a.r.t. said “we can do this. you can’t stop living!”. i sided with her! 😁 please know i still get the weak legs thing. i can’t stand in one place for long. i’m better walking! and now i can (usually, unless i’m having a bad flare-up), walk well and try to do at least 3 kilometres a day.
question 3… i did not feel “strong” when i was in bali, but i walked (slowly) every day. the big plus of being there is cheap massages and they kept my muscles limber! i wish i could afford more here where i live. my timeline? it’s been a year since i was debilitated by pain and in the state you are feeling now. i’m careful to bend over and how i go about doing that. and i learned from the pain clinic i attend, to attempt to do 50 percent of what i actually want to do. baby steps. your body will tell you what it can handle… last year my nerve pain was so bad i didn’t drive for four months.! too painful as my nerve pain is on my right side and leg. i drive everywhere now. always aware of how i sit, keeping the spine elongated, and lower abs engaged (when i think to do so.😅). honestly, it took me the year to figure out how to actually walk while engaging the glutes! abs i could do, glutes took a while to “get”. sorry, long ramble! 😅 but i’d say it took me six weeks to get myself walking again… slowly… and another few months of constantly working on getting stronger. i put my garden in this spring! a huge undertaking that i had to work on very slowly, but after you’ve been where you are now, you celebrate all the “wins” and never take your mobility for granted again.
sending hugs spine-sister. happy to engage with you and really feel for your pain. 😢🙏🏼❤️

Hey Gidget,

I'm in very good shape at 71. I ran marathons in my 30s and 40s, and then succumbed to systemic osteoarthritis. I've had both knees replaced (2023), and this year, my right hip and my left shoulder.

And my lumbar spine has not been spared. It is a disaster area, with stenosis just being one of the problems. My surgeon tells me that my core muscles are supporting my lumbar spine, and to keep up whatever I'm doing in the gym (I work with a trainer 2x/week). I do not want to have spinal fusion surgery, nope.

As in your case, my lower back is stiff in the morning, and it takes about an hour to loosen up, in spite of stretches I do at the gym. It's not painful, just very tight.

On a cruise a few weeks ago, and on a lark, I tried acupuncture for my lower and upper back.

And it worked! I got immediate relief, my heart rate dropped, and I felt relaxed. Since returning from the cruise, I have started "dry needling". The needles are as thin as a strand of hair and are put directly into a troublesome, tight muscle. A "twitch" is generated and the muscle tightens and then relaxes. Again, this works and is not painful (you'll feel a twitch now and then, but the needles are filament-thin).

I'd give it a try. Not much to lose except that nasty morning stiffness.

All the best!

Joe

Hi again Gidget,

You mentioned strengthening your core. Here are two simple exercise you can do right at home.

1) Lie on your back with knees bent. Raise your arms straight up toward the ceiling and keep them there. Pivot from your hips and reach toward the ceiling, raising your entire back off the mat or floor. You don't have to go up far, maybe only a few inches. This will work your abs.

2) Again, lie on your back with your knees bent, raise your butt up from the ground so your torso is at an angle from your knees to your head. You should feel this in your lower back and glutes (the exercise is called Glute Bridge), Hold slightly at the top, then come back down and repeat. I do 10 in a set, two sets total.

If you want to add to this exercise, on your last rep, hold the position for 30 seconds or so.

These exercises will work the front core (abs) and back core (glutes, lower back muscles).

I suggested dry needling earlier. I would find a PT at your hospital who does this. They will perform an evaluation before doing the needling. The evaluation is useful, and the PT will likely find things you hadn't considered. The PT can also suggest stretches for your lower back.

Hope this helps!

Joe

@fifilacarnivali
A thousand thanks again to you "spine sister"!! It just helps frankly to know that you (and others ) have experienced this and are managing and doing well. I know not cured as the spinal stenosis has no "cure" but are managing and finding ways to strengthen the core and for things to at least be better than they were for you last year at this time.

It is scary and upsetting, even though I know there are way worse conditions and diseases. But it is frustrating and yes walking any distance at times is daunting as you mentioned,

We are leaving to visit family back East on Wed and I wish in many ways we were going to be just here where I can concentrate more on PT and looking into the gokhale method and the el paso pt person you mentioned has helped you. I have started the research on it and want the time to devote to it as I am committed to get stronger as I know you were and are.

You mentioned your MRI findings and mine shows L4 L5 anterolisthesis where a vertebra slips forward a bit over the vertebra below and arthropathy of L4-L5 which is a degeneration of the facet joints there and it all results in severe spinal stenosis. The shift involves nerve being pinched as you mentioned for you, The symptoms as I said are better than in April/ May but not dramatically and there are days when it is better than others.

My chiropractor does not do active release therapy but my former Physical Therapist did and she is now retired. It was very helpful and I am in the process of finding someone who does this.

My dr has said surgery for this is 50/50 and I am determined to find non surgical methods and hearing your progress and others has encouraged me, I made it thru the Hawaii trip …good and not so great days and hope things go well with the upcoming one we have had planned for quite awhile to see family. As you said even the little "wins" on the trip I celebrate and never will take mobility for granted again I am sure.

Did you have good and not so good days with this when it was at the worse? I find getting up from sitting awhile to be the worse part . I am doing core exercises and am going to look up those sites and hoping it will help when I can be diligent with them when we are back home,

I was given Celebrex..200 mg to either take once a day or 2 times (100 each) and Extra Strength Tylenol but can't say it helps majorly at times. I have been reading what helps others med wise.

I do have an acupuncture appt set up in Dec on our return from our trip and don't know how much success that will be but it was suggested by the physical medicine dr,

I will keep you posted. But in the meantime thanks so much for telling me your journey with this, I can't tell you how much it helps !! ❤️