Understanding Spinal Stenosis
Your spine is a very important part of the human body. It is the column of bone that runs down your back. It houses and protects the spinal cord that holds the nerves connecting to the brain. Now let’s delve deeper into the inner workings of the spine.
The Human Spine
The human spine is comprised of 24 vertebrae, sacrum and coccyx. There are three classifications for the vertebrae – cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. Between each vertebrae, there is a disc that acts as a cushion to allow fluid movement of the spine, as well as absorb impact from normal functions such as walking. Each vertebrae has a cavity in its center. The two bony plates that wall in the cavity are called the lamina. When all the vertebrae are in alignment, they create a spinal canal for the nerves to stretch between the brain and second to last vertebrae. The nerves can exit through openings on the sides of the spine, known as foramen, to reach to all other parts of the body. In this spinal canal, the nerves are well protected.
The cervical spine is the top 7 vertebrae that are located in the neck. They connect to your head and are very flexible to give you a good range of motion to look around. The thoracic spine is the middle 12 vertebrae that connect to your ribs. Finally, the bottom 5 vertebrae make up the lumbar spine. It is the lumbar spine structure that is most responsible for keeping your body upright. Because of this, it is the area most susceptible to back pain.
Spinal Disorders
Spinal stenosis occurs when there is a narrowing of the spinal canal. Disorders such as osteoarthritis and herniated or bulging discs will infringe on the canal to increase pressure. This will reduce the room the spinal cord has and will put pressure on the nerves. In the lumbar region, pain will usually be felt in the legs. In the thoracic region, pain will usually be felt in the mid-section and organs. In the cervical region, pain is usually felt in the arms.
If your spinal stenosis disorder is quite serious, a decompressive surgery is the common course of action. Its purpose is to create room in the spinal cavities to relieve pressure on the nerves. Minimally invasive spinal stenosis surgeries include a foraminotomy and a laminotomy.
