Tips For Preventing & Treating Foraminal Stenosis
Category: Spine | Author: Stefano Sinicropi
Foraminal spinal stenosis, oftentimes simply referred to as foraminal stenosis, is a spinal condition that occurs when your foraminal canals narrow or become constricted. These foraminal canals are pathways through which nerves travel from the spinal cord to the spinal canal. When they narrow, either due to natural aging, acute trauma or another issue, compression on these spinal nerves can cause a variety of symptoms. Today, we explain how you can help prevent foraminal stenosis, and how back specialist can help treat the condition once it has set in.
How To Prevent Foraminal Stenosis
Preventing foraminal stenosis can be difficult, but there are plenty of things you can do to reduce your risk of developing the condition. The biggest culprit of foraminal spinal stenosis is the natural aging process, and while nobody can stop father time, there are some lifestyle choices that can expedite the narrowing process. For example, some factors that can contribute to the narrowing of your spinal foraminal canals include:
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Poor posture
- Frequent or excessive alcohol consumption
- Repetitive spinal motions
- Poor dietary choices
The good news is that a lot of these risk factors can be mitigated with a little foresight. Kick the bad habits like excessive alcohol and tobacco use, be cognizant of your body positioning throughout the day and while on the job, and make good dietary choices to get your full range of vitamins and minerals while also maintaining a healthy weight. By keeping all these tips in mind, you’ll be doing your part to protect against foraminal stenosis.
Treating Foraminal Stenosis
Even if you’re diligent about protecting against foraminal stenosis, it can still develop as a result of the natural aging process. Treatment will vary based on your symptoms and the location of the narrowing, but there are numerous non-surgical and operative options that can successfully treat the condition.
- Non-surgical – There are a few different conservative treatment plans that can provide relief, and finding the best treatment for your case may involve trying a few different techniques. Some find relief with over the counter or prescription pain medications, while others do better with targeted physical therapy. Lifestyle changes, like losing weight, eating right and quitting certain poor habits can also help to put an end to symptoms.
- Surgical Care – For patients who aren’t responding to conservative care, or for those with severe symptoms, surgery may be the best bet. In most cases, a minimally invasive procedure is performed to create more space in the foraminal canal and to relieve compression. These can often be performed on an outpatient basis with limited risk of complications and fast recovery times.
So if you’ve been diagnosed with foraminal stenosis, or you just want to get to the bottom of your spine, pain, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and his experienced medical team today.
