The pain starts in the lower back or legs, and it worsens upon walking or standing. It’s lumbar spinal stenosis — the narrowing of the spinal canal in the lumbar region — and it affects millions of individuals, especially those over the age of 50.
“If you live long enough, you’ll get lumbar stenosis to some degree,” said
F. Clifford Roberson, MD, of
Samaritan Neurosurgery. Aging often brings osteoarthritis and the thickening of ligaments, which lead to overgrown bone and tissue. This overgrowth constricts the spinal canal, putting pressure on surrounding nerves and causing pain.
As lumbar stenosis progresses, many people find that bending at the waist is the only way they can stand or walk without excruciating pain. “Patients tell me how they have to lean on shopping carts just to make it through the grocery store,” said Roberson. In severe cases, patients experience the loss of bladder and bowel control.
Roberson noted, “It used to be considered normal that as people became more elderly, they would lose mobility and end up in a wheelchair. It was unknown at the time that there was an explanation for it, called lumbar stenosis. Now we know it can be reversed.”
When first-line treatments such as physical therapy and anti-inflammatory injections fail, surgery is an option. Roberson performs a minimally invasive surgery where he removes excess bone and ligament, reclaiming the compressed space between the vertebrae.
“You shouldn’t suffer for years before you have your surgery, which can relieve back and leg pain,” said Roberson, whose surgical technique comes from his fellowship training at Cedar-Sinai Institute of Spinal Disorders in Los Angeles, Calif.
“Many patients walk with less pain right away after the surgery. Most people in their 80s go home the next day,” he said. “It’s gratifying to see patients feel relief so immediately.”
According to Roberson the surgery is very safe, in part because the spinal cord actually ends above where the typical procedure takes place. “The recovery period is short, and the success rate is high — 85 to 90 percent of patients have good, immediate results.” The procedure is performed under general anesthesia and takes about two hours.
“You don’t think about this surgery as a life-saving operation, but it is,” said Roberson. “This surgery allows seniors to keep walking, which keeps them active. And staying active is key to a healthy, long life.”