Spinal Stenosis. What Is It Really?

Spinal Stenosis sounds pretty serious, but once we peel back the onion and see what it really is, it's not as daunting as it sounds. 

First you need to know that we have discs between the spine that are filled with fluid, and they can get compressed or expand based on where forces are being directed.

Most people that are diagnosed with spinal stenosis tend to present with an extension posture of the spine like the picture to the right.

You can see how those bony spikes on the back of the spine are getting pushed together. That's what an extension posture of the spine is.

Don't worry it ain't nothing, but a thang....

When the spine extends (which is a normal action), the space between the discs gets narrowed, just like in the picture to the right here. (think of extension as everytime you bend backwards to try and "striaghten up"). 

With a spinal canal narrowed, the discs get squished. 

You can think of the discs as a jelly donut. Wherever the compressive force is, the fluid in the disc will get pushed out.

During some high force activities, this happens quite commonly. It's just that when it gets squished repetitively at resting postures over time it can become a problem. 
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If you have a narrowing of the spinal canal (stenosis), you may have increased pressure on nerves that leads to pain not only in the back, but down the legs too.

We can change the dynamics of how the spine moves and actually reduce that

You may see someone that walks with a stooped posture or say that they lean over a carriage when grocery shopping because it takes the pressure off their back.

That's because they are flexing at the spine to reduce the extension and opens up the space. 

Under normal conditions, when we walk (assuming we have good hip rotation as well) there's a back and forth opening and closing side to side in the spine that is healthy and normal. ​

This will transfer forces consistently and keep the jelly in the discs flowing, rather than being repetitively squished in one direction, which can reduce the overall height in one area of the disc (in this case the back to center of the disc). 

When you have reduced spinal motion and stiffer hips, the ability to rotate and redistribute forces in the spine is very limited, which is why those with stenosis need to find ways to compensate around it. 

Learning how to open up the spinal canal will help alleviate this repetitive pressure. This can be done by utilizing movement that reduces extension based postures  is the key.

​Want to know how....

You can download our free report on back pain here to get some ideas on how you can get started relieving your spinal stenosis problems