Lumbar Spinal Canal Stenosis: A Common Cause of Back and Leg Pain

Part 2
Leg claudication starts slowly but gets worse after a while. The leg pain begins slowly and gets worse with activity.

Although your doctor can probably tell if you have claudication just by asking you certain questions, sometimes special tests and x-rays of the spine are needed.

Is this the same as a ruptured disk?

Lumbar canal stenosis is not the same as a ruptured disk. A ruptured (herniated) disk usually pinches 1 or 2 nerves at a time. The pain caused by a pinched nerve in the lumbar spine is usually easy to diagnose. This pain has a special name: sciatica. Sciatica usually causes back pain that shoots down one leg. This pain can happen any time, not just when you stand up or start walking.

What can I do for the pain and numbness?

Once you know you have lumbar canal stenosis or claudication, you have several choices for treatment, depending on how bad your symptoms are. If your pain is mild and you haven't had it long, you can try an exercise program or a physical therapy program to strengthen your back muscles and improve your posture. Your doctor may also prescribe medicine for inflammation (soreness and swelling) in your spine.

If you have severe back pain and claudication, you may need to see a spine surgeon. This doctor may recommend surgery to take the pressure off the nerves in your lower spine. The surgery is called a laminectomy (say: lam-in-ek-toe-me) because parts of your spine called the lamina are taken out to make room for the nerves in the spinal canal. This surgery works well for many people

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This article provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. To find out if this article applies to you and to get more information on this subject, talk to your family doctor. In no way should the information contained in this website substitute for a medical professional advice but is to be used as an educational resource.