Diagnosis and Treatments for Spinal Stenosis in Birmingham and Hoover, Alabama

The overall cause of spinal stenosis is a narrowing of structures in the spine. The narrowing puts pressure on the spinal cord and its nerve roots.  This condition usually affects the spinal canal, around which the vertebrae are stacked, the areas where the nerve roots branch and run out from the spinal cord, and the spaces between the vertebrae.

This narrowing can occur anywhere on the spine, but most patients experience it in the neck, cervical spine, or lumbar spine, which describes the lower back. Several conditions, events, and risk factors can contribute to spinal stenosis, including:

• With age, bones, and ligaments may become thicker and larger, and bone spurs may develop
• Movement of the vertebrae may reduce the alignment of the spinal cord
• Deformity of the vertebrae, also called spondylolysis
• Herniated discs, due to drier, age-related conditions in the vertebrae
• Osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, which can lead to weaker bones and problems with discs
• Ossification from calcium deposits on the ligaments
• Rheumatoid arthritis, which can lead to problems with joints in the spine
• Fractures due to trauma and injury
• Cancer-related tumors of the spine
• Paget’s disease, a chronic disease that affects the bones
• Scoliosis, or curvature of the spine
• Congenital stenosis, a condition found at birth
• Achondroplasia, a genetically inherited condition

Patients who experience brittle or weak bones, or want to find out more about bone health, can be seen in the Osteoporosis Clinic at Southlake Orthopaedics.