Spinal stenosis. Any recommendations?

Try Tylenol arthritis and physical therapy at home.

I have severe L4/5 stenosis with sciatica pains. I have avoided surgery by learning and following the Gokhale Primal Posture Method.

@kaylin7 Thank you for the suggestion. I looked that up and it looks like it may be a bit stronger than the Extra Strength Tylenol so I’m going to give it a try since I know I have plenty of arthritis in my back. Thanks.

@sbcarcht Thank you for responding to my post. I Googled that method and found there is a book out by Esther Gokhale that seems quite popular. I’m going to ask my orthopedist about it and despite what he says, I may just get the book and explore the method further. I’m thinking there may also be YouTube videos about it although I haven’t checked yet. I appreciate the suggestion and definitely plan to look into it. Thank you.

I’m an 82 year old female who was diagnosed with spinal stenosis about 5 years ago. I’m sure I’ve had it much longer but that’s when the pain got much worse. I was told only remedy was surgery. I wasn’t interested as I didn’t know anyone at the time with a successful back surgery.

I tried the injections and initially they really helped a lot. However, the last two didn’t help much at all. Now over the last few months my pain has shifted. Instead of being in my hips and down my right leg, it has settled in my lower back. I was scheduled for another injection so I told pain dr about the shift. It would seem if pain shifted, things have changed in my back and maybe I need a new MRI but dr just said we can discuss when you come for injection.

I’ve tried Gabapentin and Pregabalin but neither helped. I take two Extra Strength Tylenol twice a day. I use a cane in the morning because I can’t stand up straight for maybe the first hour I’m up. I’ve decided to use a cane when I leave the house as I feel more stable in walking and I’ve been told I stand straighter, rather than slightly hunched over.

I went to chiropractor but after looking at my MRI, he said he didn’t feel he could help. I’ve just started PT again. First time it didn’t seem to help but I’m not sure I was diligent about the exercising. This time I’m doing them each day. It won’t cure anything but hopefully it will strengthen my midsection. I weight 135 and am 5’2” tall.

So I’m looking for tips from others on how they deal with this. If I was in good health, I might consider a minimally invasive procedure but because of three leaky heart valves I have, it doesn’t seem like a good idea. Any thought on meds you’ve tried, back braces you may use or anything else, I’d appreciate hearing from you. I do have an appointment with my orthopedist next week and I have a list of questions to ask.

I’m an 82 year old female who was diagnosed with spinal stenosis about 5 years ago. I’m sure I’ve had it much longer but that’s when the pain got much worse. I was told only remedy was surgery. I wasn’t interested as I didn’t know anyone at the time with a successful back surgery.

I tried the injections and initially they really helped a lot. However, the last two didn’t help much at all. Now over the last few months my pain has shifted. Instead of being in my hips and down my right leg, it has settled in my lower back. I was scheduled for another injection so I told pain dr about the shift. It would seem if pain shifted, things have changed in my back and maybe I need a new MRI but dr just said we can discuss when you come for injection.

I’ve tried Gabapentin and Pregabalin but neither helped. I take two Extra Strength Tylenol twice a day. I use a cane in the morning because I can’t stand up straight for maybe the first hour I’m up. I’ve decided to use a cane when I leave the house as I feel more stable in walking and I’ve been told I stand straighter, rather than slightly hunched over.

I went to chiropractor but after looking at my MRI, he said he didn’t feel he could help. I’ve just started PT again. First time it didn’t seem to help but I’m not sure I was diligent about the exercising. This time I’m doing them each day. It won’t cure anything but hopefully it will strengthen my midsection. I weight 135 and am 5’2” tall.

So I’m looking for tips from others on how they deal with this. If I was in good health, I might consider a minimally invasive procedure but because of three leaky heart valves I have, it doesn’t seem like a good idea. Any thought on meds you’ve tried, back braces you may use or anything else, I’d appreciate hearing from you. I do have an appointment with my orthopedist next week and I have a list of questions to ask.

I had an L 4-5 hemilaminectomy in 2023 because of spinal stenosis. I could barely walk 5 minutes without excruciating pain. I was thrilled with the surgery. I can still walk, even with the TLIF a year later. I was diligent about exercises and walking.
I'm now facing laminectomy of L3-4. I've gone for a second opinion and that helped me understand better what's going on and convinced me to go back to my original neurosurgeon who specializes in spine surgery.
There are more horror stories about back surgery than success stories. People with success don't typically need to talk about it. I'd say my experience was mixed. Success is I can walk now. Pain is different but it doesn't stop me until I stop.

I’m an 82 year old female who was diagnosed with spinal stenosis about 5 years ago. I’m sure I’ve had it much longer but that’s when the pain got much worse. I was told only remedy was surgery. I wasn’t interested as I didn’t know anyone at the time with a successful back surgery.

I tried the injections and initially they really helped a lot. However, the last two didn’t help much at all. Now over the last few months my pain has shifted. Instead of being in my hips and down my right leg, it has settled in my lower back. I was scheduled for another injection so I told pain dr about the shift. It would seem if pain shifted, things have changed in my back and maybe I need a new MRI but dr just said we can discuss when you come for injection.

I’ve tried Gabapentin and Pregabalin but neither helped. I take two Extra Strength Tylenol twice a day. I use a cane in the morning because I can’t stand up straight for maybe the first hour I’m up. I’ve decided to use a cane when I leave the house as I feel more stable in walking and I’ve been told I stand straighter, rather than slightly hunched over.

I went to chiropractor but after looking at my MRI, he said he didn’t feel he could help. I’ve just started PT again. First time it didn’t seem to help but I’m not sure I was diligent about the exercising. This time I’m doing them each day. It won’t cure anything but hopefully it will strengthen my midsection. I weight 135 and am 5’2” tall.

So I’m looking for tips from others on how they deal with this. If I was in good health, I might consider a minimally invasive procedure but because of three leaky heart valves I have, it doesn’t seem like a good idea. Any thought on meds you’ve tried, back braces you may use or anything else, I’d appreciate hearing from you. I do have an appointment with my orthopedist next week and I have a list of questions to ask.

@lessie Thank you for sharing your experience. I’m glad you were able to find at least some relief but it sounds like you still have some challenges ahead. I wish you well with your next procedure should you decide definitely to go through with it.
I’ve come to the conclusion over the last couple years that not all spinal stenosis is equal. Some people have debilitating pain, some moderate and others no pain at all. I usually take the MRI radiology report and google the various phrases to help me better understand what’s going on in my back because I want to know what I’m dealing with but not everyone seems to want all those details. I know people who had back surgery and they can’t even tell you what the problem was. So we’re all made slightly different and just have to find what works for us. I’m glad your second opinion helped clear up some things for you about your condition. I imagine it was a huge help. Take care.

I’m an 82 year old female who was diagnosed with spinal stenosis about 5 years ago. I’m sure I’ve had it much longer but that’s when the pain got much worse. I was told only remedy was surgery. I wasn’t interested as I didn’t know anyone at the time with a successful back surgery.

I tried the injections and initially they really helped a lot. However, the last two didn’t help much at all. Now over the last few months my pain has shifted. Instead of being in my hips and down my right leg, it has settled in my lower back. I was scheduled for another injection so I told pain dr about the shift. It would seem if pain shifted, things have changed in my back and maybe I need a new MRI but dr just said we can discuss when you come for injection.

I’ve tried Gabapentin and Pregabalin but neither helped. I take two Extra Strength Tylenol twice a day. I use a cane in the morning because I can’t stand up straight for maybe the first hour I’m up. I’ve decided to use a cane when I leave the house as I feel more stable in walking and I’ve been told I stand straighter, rather than slightly hunched over.

I went to chiropractor but after looking at my MRI, he said he didn’t feel he could help. I’ve just started PT again. First time it didn’t seem to help but I’m not sure I was diligent about the exercising. This time I’m doing them each day. It won’t cure anything but hopefully it will strengthen my midsection. I weight 135 and am 5’2” tall.

So I’m looking for tips from others on how they deal with this. If I was in good health, I might consider a minimally invasive procedure but because of three leaky heart valves I have, it doesn’t seem like a good idea. Any thought on meds you’ve tried, back braces you may use or anything else, I’d appreciate hearing from you. I do have an appointment with my orthopedist next week and I have a list of questions to ask.