Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal or the spaces through which the nerve structures pass. It can be congenital or degenerative and is often associated with osteoarthritic changes.
The most common symptoms include pain, a feeling of heaviness, weakness and fatigue in the lower limbs.
A typical sign is neurogenic claudication, meaning pain that increases with walking and tends to decrease with rest or in a seated position.
Causes
Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal or the spaces through which the nerve roots pass.
It can be congenital, but is more often degenerative and develops progressively due to:
Symptoms
In the lumbar spine, stenosis can cause pain, a feeling of heaviness, weakness, tingling and fatigue in the lower limbs.
A typical symptom is neurogenic claudication: the patient experiences pain or weakness while walking, with improvement when sitting down or bending the trunk forward.
In the cervical spine, on the other hand, stenosis can be more delicate because it can involve the spinal cord.
In these cases, difficulty with fine hand movements, unsteady gait, loss of balance or signs of cervical myelopathy can appear.
Assessment and treatment
Treatment depends on the location, the severity of the compression and the impact on the nerves or spinal cord.
A personalized approach to spinal conditions
Spinal conditions can present very differently from one patient to another.
Two people with the same radiological diagnosis can have completely different symptoms, just as a seemingly significant abnormality on an MRI may not be the true cause of the pain.
For this reason, a specialist assessment should not be limited to reading the imaging results, but must integrate the patient’s clinical history, physical examination, symptom analysis, neurological assessment and the impact of the condition on daily life.
The most appropriate treatment is not necessarily the most invasive one, but the one best suited to the specific situation. In many cases significant improvement can be achieved with conservative therapies, physical therapy, lifestyle changes, pain management or minimally invasive treatments. In other cases, when pain is resistant, neurological compression is significant or the deformity compromises function, surgery may be the most effective solution.
The ultimate goal is always the same: reduce pain, improve function, preserve the patient’s safety and choose a truly personalized treatment path.
Fill out the form to send me your request. I will read your message and get back to you as soon as possible.
For any information or clarification, contact me by email or call the secretariat number:
Secretary's office phone number
(+39) 335.498373
