OrthoGeorgia Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon, Wayne Kelley Jr., MD Discusses Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

What is Lumbar Spinal Stenosis? 

Hello. My name is Wayne Kelley. I’m a spine surgeon here at OrthoGeorgia. Today I’m going to talk to you about lumbar spinal stenosis. Lumbar spinal stenosis is a condition where you have compression of the nerves in the lumbar spine. It causes pain down your legs. Typically, this pain is going to be pain that’s worse with standing and walking, and better when you sit down or bend forward. It tends to be a dull, achy pain down the legs, with heaviness in the legs. The reason you get this is because you have compression of the nerves in the lumbar spine. 

Anatomy of the Lumbar Spine

First of all, we’ll talk about the lumbar spine. We’ve got five lumbar vertebrae, numbered one through L5. There’s always a vertebral body, the disc in between. You have the posterior part, you have a spinous process, and right here is a neuroforamen, and this is where the nerve exits. Typically, when you have spinal stenosis, it’s going to be a midline central disc herniation, and most the time it’s from a degenerative process. The degenerative process being our discs shrink as we age. As the discs shrink, it causes compression of the nerves in the posterior part of the dura. 

How is Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Diagnosed?

The first way to evaluate this is to have a physical exam by your spine surgeon. They will test your sensation, your neurological function, and get a history of how long the problem’s been going on. With that we usually also take a series of X-rays of the lumbar spine. That way we can see what the bone structure is and also see if there’s any slippage. Sometimes you can have where one bone slips forward on the other bone and that’s called a spondylolisthesis. That just shows us there’s increased arthritis with a little bit of instability in the spine. 

How is Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Treated at OrthoGeorgia?

Our first line of treatment for this is going to be anti-inflammatories, physical therapy, and perhaps a lumbar back brace. Again, most people can live with spinal stenosis but there are times when spinal stenosis causes significant complaints or a disability where people cannot stand and walk as long, and they want to be more active. Most of the time, people can live with spinal stenosis; but, again, when it starts affecting the activities of daily living and they want to be more active but they can’t, those are times we start considering surgery. Surgery for spinal stenosis could be as simple as a small laminectomy, a small procedure, or as big as a fusion, if needed. It depends on how much compression there is, how much of a decompression you need to do, and if there is any instability in the spine. If you’re experiencing any symptoms with pain radiating down your legs, numbness and tingling, or heaviness, then please come see us here at OrthoGeorgia so we can diagnose the problem.

Comprehensive Spine Care in Central GA at OrthoGeorgia

At OrthoGeorgia, Dr. Kelley and the rest of our spine specialists in Central GA are proud to work with patients of all ages, diagnosing and treating painful spine, back, and neck conditions and injuries. At our Spine Center of Excellence, you’ll receive the highest standard of care, with your treatment goals and unique needs kept in mind every step of the way. To schedule an appointment for comprehensive back care in Macon, Warner Robins, Kathleen, Milledgeville, or Dublin, GA, please contact OrthoGeorgia today.