![]() It’s important that the doctor determine if your leg symptoms are caused by peripheral artery disease or lumbar stenosis. Pain occurs because your leg muscles are not getting enough blood. Leg pain and cramping can also be a sign of vascular claudication, which occurs when there's a narrowing of the arteries in the leg caused by peripheral artery disease. Leaning over a supporting object, such as a walker or shopping cart, can help reduce the pain when walking. Over time the symptoms increase, reducing one’s physical endurance. Stenosis also causes neurogenic claudication, a cramping pain and weakness in the legs, typically the calves, that occurs with walking or standing and goes away with sitting and rest. Lumbar stenosis may cause pain as well as tingling or numbness that starts in the buttocks and radiates down the back of both thighs and sometimes into the calves, called sciatica. The pain may come and go or only occur during certain activities, like walking. You may feel a dull ache or sometimes sharp and severe pain in different areas, depending on which part of the spinal canal has narrowed. Symptoms usually develop over time or may occur as a sudden onset of pain. Narrowing of the spinal canal (central stenosis) presses on the spinal cord causing inflammation and weakness. Narrowing of the nerve root canal (lateral stenosis) presses on the spinal nerves, causing inflammation and pain. Nearly every adult's spinal canal narrows with age however, for most people this does not cause symptoms. Stenosis can occur along any area of the spine (cervical, thoracic, lumbar), but is most common in the lumbar area. Central stenosis occurs when the central spinal canal is constricted with enlarged ligament and bony overgrowth, causing compression of the spinal cord and cauda equina. In spinal stenosis, bone spurs, enlarged facet joints and a bulging disc constrict the nerve root canals causing compression and entrapment of the spinal nerves also called lateral or foraminal stenosis. In a normal vertebra, the spinal canal and the nerve root canals have ample space for passage of the spinal cord and nerves. ![]() overgrowth of bone and bone spurs (Fig.thickening and stiffening of the ligaments.narrowing of the spinal and nerve root canals.Spinal stenosis is a degenerative condition that happens gradually over time and refers to: Bony changes can narrow the canals and restrict the spinal cord or nerves (see Anatomy of the Spine). Both the spinal and nerve root canals are surrounded by bone and ligaments. Spinal nerves exit the spinal canal through the intervertebral foramen (also called the nerve root canal) to branch out to your body. Down the middle of each vertebra is a hollow space called the spinal canal that contains the spinal cord, spinal nerves, ligaments, fat, and blood vessels. ![]() The vertebrae are separated by discs, which act as shock absorbers preventing the vertebrae from rubbing together. Your spine is made of 24 moveable bones called vertebrae. ![]() Chronic symptoms may require surgery to open the canals. Medications, physical therapy and spinal injections can help control the symptoms. The pinched nerves become inflamed and cause pain, cramping, numbness or weakness in your legs, back, neck, or arms. Arthritis can cause the facet joints and ligaments to enlarge and thicken, restricting the space for the nerves to move freely. Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the bony canals through which the nerves and spinal cord pass. ![]()
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