4 Things to Stop Doing if You Have Spinal Stenosis

Pain is the body’s way of telling you that something is wrong and needs your attention. Those living with a spinal stenosis know this too well and constantly being in pain leads to the detriment of their overall health and well-being.  People with this condition tend to wait and hope that it will go away on its own,  but that rarely happens. 

According to studies, over 47% of those above 60 years of age have reported symptoms of spinal stenosis such as neck pains, tingling of the arms and legs among others. While age is a contributing factor to getting the condition, there are  other factors that may cause spinal stenosis. 

You may have started doing the recommended exercises, which you hoped was enough, but the pain doesn’t seem to fade. Managing spinal stenosis calls for delicate balance between what you should and what you should stay away from.  The following are the habits you need to avoid when you have spinal stenosis:

Things to Avoid if You Have Spinal Stenosis

Don’t Keep Waiting for it to Disappear

If you think spinal stenosis is just like any other back pain that goes away on its own, you are wrong. The condition is quite different compared to other causes of back pain such as lifting heavy loads and poor sitting posture. One of the condition’s characteristics is that it worsens with time if you don’t try any medically proven remedies. The fact is that it will never just go away without any intervention since it is termed to be a progressive condition.

That said, you aren’t limited to what you can do to minimize the condition’s development. Specific recommended exercise programs are great for improvement of mobility and reduction of both back and leg pain. These remedies are essential since they help improve muscle strength to walk better without enduring as much pain as before. 

Don’t Focus on the Inflammation

Spinal stenosis symptoms tend to worsen the more you walk without treating it since the leading cause is a contraction of the spinal cord, which irritates the leg nerves. The irritation of the terms causes inflammation, and so this should be part of the treatment. Using medication dedicated to anti-inflammation is only a temporary solution and should follow other spinal stenosis treatments too. 

Solely relying on anti-inflammatory medication can make your symptoms worse and limit mobility with time.  It is vital to make changes to your spine’s biomechanics for improvements of your spine’s movements. Accomplishing this can be through both exercises and postural correction. 

Limit Flexion Exercises

Prescription of flexion exercises has been a critical element for patients with spinal stenosis for decades. The exercises mainly bend the spine forward, increasing the diameter of the spinal canal, taking pressure off the nerves helping with less irritation. 

It is important to limit yourself to this exercise and add the sustained standing lumbar extension exercise. This bending backward exercise’s main benefit is moving your spinal discs away from the spinal canal and nerves, giving them more space to function correctly. 

Stop Focusing on Surgery

Believing that surgery solves everything is not the best way to look for solutions. It is not always the case for spinal stenosis since surgery can sometimes only make minimal improvements to the conditions. Non-intrusive methods such as physical exercises and other medications can go a long way to improving the state of your condition.

Remaining vigilant about what you do and staying off certain things will provide you with a smooth experience as you deal with spinal stenosis.

 At Southeast Pain and Spine Care, we have qualified professionals to help you manage pain caused by spinal stenosis. Contact us today to set up your appointment and begin your journey towards a pain free life.