Do you notice tiredness in your legs when you stand longer than 5-10 minutes? Are you struggling to walk more than a block before your legs start hurting? You may be experiencing lumbar spinal stenosis. At Plumas Physical Therapy, in Quincy and Blairsden, CA, our physical therapists are skilled at helping you to find true relief and get back to enjoying your life!
Spinal stenosis is estimated to affect around 10% of the population and is expected to rise to 64 million elderly adults by 2025. Lumbar spinal stenosis is the most common reason for spinal surgery for people over 65.
As we age, our spines typically degenerate, narrowing the canals formed by the vertebrae where the nerves exit. This narrowing can impinge on the nerves leading to radiating pain from the back and buttocks into the leg.
As stenosis progresses, it leads to weakness and loss of balance, making it challenging to tolerate walking long distances and prolonged standing.
At Plumas Physical Therapy in Quincy and Blairsden, CA, our physical therapy specialists know the most effective treatments to help you find the relief you have been looking for!
What is lumbar spinal stenosis?
The term stenosis means narrowing. Lumbar spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the canals where the nerves branch off the spinal cord in the lower part of your back exit. With the deterioration of the spinal discs, the canals shrink in size leading to pressure and irritation of the nerves or pressure on the vascular elements of the lumbar spine.
One of the classic signs of lumbar stenosis is leg pain with standing and prolonged walking. Symptoms from stenosis are relieved in a flexed lumbar spine position (i.e., bent forward position). People with spinal stenosis typically feel better when sitting but notice increased pain levels with standing and backward bending.
Often, as the condition advances, your ability to tolerate activities while standing and walking will become progressively more difficult. Fortunately, lumbar spinal stenosis responds very well to personalized exercises and targeted manual therapy by a skilled physical therapist.
Our physical therapists can help you do more with less pain. Our patients experience a significant reduction in pain and improvement in daily activities after just a few short weeks of treatment.
If you are looking for a safe and effective treatment method for treating your back and leg pain and figuring out what you can do to find relief, physical therapy could be the solution you’ve been searching for!
Your Next Steps…
Request An Appointment
Receive A Custom Treatment Plan
Work Hard and Progress In Your Recovery
Recover & Enjoy Life Pain-Free!
