What is spinal stenosis?

Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal. The pain (as well as the numbness, weakness, tingling or burning sensations) from lumbar spinal stenosis is caused by pressure applied to nerves in the spine from this narrowing. As we age, and because of wear and tear on the spine, it can become unstable. Ligaments of the spine thicken (hypertrophy) and harden (calcification). Bone spurs (osteophytes) may also form in an attempt to stabilize the spine. Spondylolisthesis (the slipping of one vertebra onto another) can also occur, leading to compression and/or inflammation of the nerve roots.

Who gets spinal stenosis?

While there may be some genetic predisposition to spinal stenosis, the number one factor is, quite simply, age. Generally speaking, lumbar spinal stenosis shows up in people over the age of 50. It can also be caused by prior injury to the spinal canal, although that is less often the case.

What’s being done to help?

Most often, treatment for spinal stenosis will start with “conservative care,” which often includes medications such as NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; e.g. aspirin or ibuprofen), stretching exercises and/or physical therapy and even epidural injections. When a spinal stenosis patient can no longer achieve adequate or sustained relief from conservative care, surgery is often the next step. This may mean fusion, or patients and their physicians may decide to look at other options, including enrollment (if the patient meets the criteria) into a study, such as the coflex^® clinical research study. For more information on the coflex clinical research study, or to see if you might be eligible to participate, call 1-866-493-9510 Mon–Thurs, 7am–7pm and Fri, 7am–6pm, CST.

For more information on the coflex clinical research study, or to see if you might be eligible to participate, call 1-866-493-9510 Mon–Thurs, 7am–7pm and Fri, 7am 6pm, CST.

CAUTION: Investigational device.Limited by Federal (or United States) law to investigational use.