Do you have pain, numbness, tingling in your legs while walking?

Does this pain decrease with sitting and leaning forward?

Is there a stiffness, stiffness in the mornings for about half an hour?

Do you have difficulty getting up from where you sit?

If you answer some of these questions, then you may have a narrowing of the canal in your spine.

What is the canal narrowing?

Our spine is the one of the most important organs of our body, the spinal cord. With the moving bone structure of the spine, the spinal nerves are protected against external collisions. In some cases, however, the channel through which the spinal column passes narrows and does not allow your spine to move freely. In this case, the spinal cord is compressed and some neurological symptoms arise.

What causes constriction in the spinal canal?

There may be many reasons for the canal narrowing. Congenital causes, hernias, past surgeries, arthritis, etc. The most common cause is hernia and calcification. The discs forming the inner part of the spinal column are compressed from the front side and the arthritis is compressed from the back side, causing the spinal column to contract. In other words, arthritis and hernias, especially with age, are the most important causes of canal narrowing.

What is the indication of canal narrowing?

The most important symptom is the pain that emerges in the stools while walking. Along with pain, numbness and tingling are also common. One of the most important features of this leg pain is the reduction of pain and numbness when sitting and leaning forward. Because, when you sit down and lean forward, the spinal cord is a little wider. Some patients may have back pain, stiffness, stiffness.

How is it diagnosed?

First of all, you need to listen to the patient well. X-ray and MR examinations together with a detailed examination help diagnosis. The most valuable diagnostic method is the MR and it is diagnostic if the spinal canal is less than 11 mm. Occasionally, an EMG nerve test may be needed to help diagnose and to determine the severity of the condition.

Channel narrowing treatment

If there is no need for emergency surgery, pain relievers, muscle relaxants, and neuropathic pain medications are given. Exercise, physical therapy and spine protection should be recommended. As we call epidural steroid injections, needle therapy can be beneficial for some patients. In spite of all this, if the complaints do not pass, or progressive neurological problems begin, then surgery is necessary.

What are we doing?

In addition to a detailed physical and neurological examination, our patients with duct narrowing in our clinic are assessed by EMG test and determine the seriousness of the condition and plan treatment accordingly.

For this purpose;

- Physical therapy, manual therapy, acupuncture, exercise program, drug treatment

- Pain treatment methods for radiofrequency facet joints

- We can do epidural steroid injections.