Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Lumbar spinal stenosis affects your lower back, causing pain that can radiate into your hips, buttocks, and legs. Interventional spine and pain specialist Gabriel Mattei, MD, offers expert diagnosis and treatment at his Atlantis, Boynton Beach, and Wellington, Florida, offices. Comprehensive lumbar spinal stenosis care includes conservative treatments and minimally invasive procedures. Call the Gabriel Mattei, MD, office nearest you or schedule a consultation online today for exceptional lumbar spinal stenosis treatment.

What is lumbar spinal stenosis?

Lumbar spinal stenosis occurs when the spine becomes too narrow, causing pain in the lower back that often spreads into the buttock, hip, and/or leg.

Spinal stenosis develops for several reasons. Often, it’s age-related deterioration, which is responsible for several disorders including:

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is caused by wear-and-tear over many decades that erodes the protective cartilage on the spine’s facet joints. Bone spurs often develop and ligaments thicken, narrowing the spinal canal.

Degenerative disc disease

Discs are cushioning pads between the vertebrae. As you age, they lose water content, becoming drier, harder, and flatter. Spinal alignment alters, and the discs are prone to splitting.

Herniated discs

Disc herniation can happen after a severe trauma but is more frequently a result of degenerative disc disease, which weakens the outer shell. The soft core then protrudes into the spinal canal.

The changes in your spinal canal, when it narrows, can lead to nerve compression and pain.

What symptoms does lumbar spinal stenosis cause?

Some people with lumbar spinal stenosis don’t have any symptoms. However, if you experience problems, they might include:

• Gradually worsening back, buttock, and leg pain
• Pain worsening during physical activity
• Leg heaviness
• Leg numbness or weakness
• Muscle cramps

Bending forward or sitting down typically relieves lumbar spinal stenosis symptoms because it reduces pressure.

How is lumbar spinal stenosis diagnosed?

To diagnose your symptoms, Dr. Mattei completes a physical exam and checks your medical history and current symptoms.

He’ll likely want to see X-rays of your spine to view the vertebrae in detail and analyze the narrowing. On-site MRI is also available for an even more detailed assessment.

How is lumbar spinal stenosis treated?

Dr. Mattei offers comprehensive treatments for lumbar spinal stenosis. He designs a personalized treatment plan for you that starts with conservative methods before moving on to minimally invasive procedures if there’s insufficient improvement. Options include:

• Pain medication
• Anti-inflammatories
• Physical therapy
• Back brace
• Epidural steroid injections
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Minimally invasive lumbar decompression (mild®)

Decompression involves removing bone and tissue from the narrowed part of the spine. Dr. Mattei uses the mild technique — an advanced, minimally invasive procedure using a special instrument to achieve this without surgery.

Call Gabriel Mattei, MD, to arrange a lumbar spinal stenosis evaluation, or book an appointment online today.