Don't Let Age Get Your Back!

Dr. Doug - Chiropractor
Sep 24
2 min read

Dr. Doug - Chiropractor in Brampton - Voted Best Chiropractor 2024

Woman spinning around and suffering from vertigo. — Effective Treatment For Spinal Stenosis

Effective Treatment For Spinal Stenosis

Let's discuss one of the leading causes of pain, disability and loss of independence for seniors. Lumbar Spinal Stenosis can begin to affect our health as early as in our 50's. Degeneration of spinal discs and related changes in the spine like thinning and bulging discs, arthritis and thickening of the supportive spinal ligament cause a reduction of space in the spinal canal where the spinal cord and its nerves are housed. Pain sets in and brings symptoms that can include tingling, numbness or heaviness in the leg. Symptoms of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis are often worse when standing upright, with walking becoming difficult, but improve when sitting or bending forward.

There are treatments for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis, with some more effective than others. Here is a summary of the options:

1) Oral medication -- A usual first step for people with pain. However, there is no research showing that medication is effective in reducing the pain and disability of lumbar spinal stenosis… after all, medication only reduces symptoms, and doesn’t fix this condition. Anti-inflammatories and opioids also have potential serious effects including addiction, and are therefore not recommended for continued use for spinal stenosis.

Anti-epileptic medications, namely pregabalin and gabapentin are often prescribed when weaker medications fail. They are often given to relieve the nerve pain associated with lumbar stenosis. However, due to the side effects of dizziness or drowsiness, which may cause falls, these are not listed as an option in any guidelines for low back pain.

2) Injections -- Treatments at pain clinics usually involve injections of anti-inflammatories or anesthetics into the space around the affected nerve. There is logic to using this as a brief course of treatment to help other treatments take effect. An international panel of experts has stopped recommending ongoing treatment with injections, due to the fact that the medication gives little benefit when compared to a placebo.

3) Hands-On Treatment Combined With Education -- Treatment that includes several components like manual therapy, exercises and education about how to manage pain has been shown to effectively reduce pain in the short and long term, as well as improve the patient’s walking and overall functional abilities.

Dr. Doug has been trained to deliver a treatment program developed by a chiropractor at Mount Sinai hospital in Toronto. This is an evidence-based treatment and exercise program designed to decrease the compression of spinal nerves. Dr. Doug has seen good results including a reduction in patients' back pain and their ability to return to a fuller life.

Don't let age get your back! Call and book an appointment today with Dr. Doug to discuss for your back pain so you can return to the things you love to do!