Back Talking!

Canal stenosis is a common diagnosis for someone suffering from back and/or leg pain. What is stenosis? http://backtalkinghelp.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Canal-Stenosis.jpg ()Canal Stenosis Stenosis is from the Greek and means narrowing. With that it mind, it should make things a little clearer. You can have narrowing in blood vessels (think heart attack), narrowing in your intestines (scarring from Crohn’s disease), and narrowing in your spinal canal. The canal is where the spinal cord and the nerves that exit off of the cord live. Any of the structures that surround the canal can cause it to narrow, or stenose. Bone, discs, and ligaments are the typical culprits. Degenerative changes in the spine, typically seen in the older  populations, is the number one cause of spinal stenosis. The disc may bulge or herniate into the canal. Osteophytes or bone spurs from the vertebrae may also encroach on the canal. The facet joints may start to hypertrophy or enlarge due to wear and tear, and that enlargemen