Spinal stenosis is a condition that involves both the bony structures and the nerves of the spine.

The bony structures of the spine are the vertebrae. They provide structure for our bodies and protect the spinal cord, which carries messages between the brain and body. There are about 33 interlocking vertebrae and they are articulated in a way that provides support for the chest and abdomen while allowing us the flexibility to twist and bend. The spine has two forward curves?cervical and lumbar?and two backward curves?thoracic and sacral, which help it absorb mechanical stress.

The spinal cord travels through the spinal canal from the head to the lower back. The posterior longitudinal ligament lines the canal between the spinal cord and the back of the vertebrae, providing additional support and protection for the spinal cord. All messages between the brain and body are carried by the spinal cord in a top-down fashion. If the spinal cord is severed, you lose all sensation and function below the injury.

A pair of spinal nerves leaves the spine between each pair of vertebrae. They split off of the spinal cord and innervate the structures parallel to that vertebra. The nerves pass out of the spinal canal through the neural canal and exit the spine through the space between vertebrae.

Whenever the spinal canal or one of the neural canals is narrowed or obstructed, you have spinal stenosis. The symptoms of spinal stenosis depend on which nerve or nerves are being affected.

Cervical spinal stenosis occurs in the neck and can involve either the cord or spinal nerves. If spinal nerves are involved, you will have pain, numbness, tingling and/or weakness of the neck, shoulders and/or arms. If the cord is involved, you may also have symptoms affecting your legs, usually uncoordinated movement and difficulty walking.

Thoracic stenosis is rare because there is less curvature in the thoracic spine, and therefore less stress on the joints between vertebrae. The spinal canal is normally narrower in the thoracic spine, however, so it takes less obstruction to cause symptoms.

Lumbar stenosis is common, and involves the lower back. Lumbar stenosis causes pain in the lower back and leg and may also cause weakness in one or both legs.

Spinal stenosis can be caused by narrowing of the spinal canal, narrowing or obstruction of the neural canal or narrowing or obstruction of the space between vertebrae. Stenosis can be congenital or it can be caused by injury, tumor, medical conditions or degenerative changes due to aging.

In the early stages, anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy and other medical measures take care of the symptoms. Ultimately, the only way to correct spinal stenosis is with surgery to relieve pressure on the nerves.

Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on the spinal cord and/or on spinal nerves as they leave the spine. Compression of the nerve interferes with communication between the brain and the body, and results in sensory problems or loss of function to an area of the body. Compression can occur in the spinal canal, in the nerve root canals or the intervertebral foramen. It can be localized to one area or widespread throughout a section of the spine.

Causes
Spinal stenosis can be congenital or acquired. Congenital conditions that cause spinal stenosis include scoliosis, a congenitally narrow spinal column or a bone defect called achondroplasia.

Most spinal stenosis is acquired, usually as a result of aging, and it usually appears in individuals over 50 years old. Women are more prone to it than men. Normal degenerative changes that occur with aging are most often to blame, especially if arthritis is also present. Spinal stenosis can also be caused by tumors or injury or as a result of another disease, such as Paget?s disease.

Symptoms
The symptoms of spinal stenosis depend on where the narrowing is. Most spinal stenosis affects the lumbar, or lower back, area. You experience pain radiating down your leg that is relieved if you sit or bend forward. In severe cases, you could lose bowel, bladder or sexual function and have difficulty walking.

The second most common area for spinal stenosis to occur is in your neck, or cervical spine. People with cervical stenosis may feel pain radiating down an arm, or aching, numbness or tingling in the arm or leg. They may have difficulty with fine motor skills, such as picking things up with their fingers or writing, problems walking or loss of bladder and bowel control.

Symptoms usually appear gradually and get worse over time.

Treatment
Conservative methods of treatment are used as long as possible. They don?t cure the problem, but most people get relief of their symptoms for quite a while by doing prescribed exercises, including flexion. Most people have good results with physical therapy. Chiropractic, massage and acupuncture often help, too.

Most doctors prescribe muscle relaxers or anti-inflammatory medications to relieve the symptoms of spinal stenosis. If those don?t work, epidural cortisone treatments and nerve blocks may be helpful.

Eventually, many people need surgery to correct spinal stenosis. Outpatient arthroscopic surgery may be sufficient to open up the intervertebral foramen or to relieve pressure from surrounding structures.

Sometimes, however, the entire spinal cord must be decompressed, requiring open surgery. A decompression laminectomy may be necessary to remove enough bone and tissue to relieve the pressure on the spinal column.

Spinal stenosis can be very debilitating. Conservative treatment relieves the symptoms and allows you to function normally for quite a long time. The disease is progressive, however, and eventually surgery is necessary to correct the narrowing and relieve pressure on the nerve.

Orthopedic surgeons frequently perform spinal orthopedic procedures to relieve symptoms caused by spinal nerve compression. Nerves that exit the spinal column between the vertebrae can be compressed by an intervetebral disc, by the vertebrae themselves or by bony spurs that have grown next to the nerve. When the nerves are compressed, you have sensory symptoms?pain, numbness or tingling?and/or motor symptoms?weakness or loss of bladder or bowel control. Spinal orthopedic procedures relieve the pressure on the spinal nerve.

Surgical Procedures
Until recently, the only spinal orthopedic procedures available were surgical, and surgery is still frequently performed. The lumbar and cervical spine (low back and neck) are most prone to injury, and most surgeries are performed in those areas. The thoracic spine is more stable, but surgery may be necessary to correct deformities such as scoliosis or kyphosis. Laminectomy/discectomy and spinal fusion are the most common spinal orthopedic procedures performed.

Laminectomy/discectomy involves removing the portions of the disc and bony parts of the vertebrae that are compressing the nerve. The surgeon removes extraneous material and enlarges the opening to relieve the pressure on the nerve. If the disc is badly damaged, it may be replaced with an artificial one.

If the vertebrae are unstable or misaligned and they could re-compress the nerve, the spine is fused, using bone grafts from other parts of the body or rods and hardware. Spinal fusion immobilizes that portion of the spine so that it cannot compress or injure the nerve.

These procedures are usually done as open surgical procedures. The surgeon may approach the spine from the front of your body (anterior procedure) through your abdomen, or he may operate on the back of your body (posterior procedure). In either case, an incision is made in the skin and the muscles and surrounding tissue must be cut in order to reach the spine. That means time in the hospital and a lengthy recuperation afterward, plus the risk of infection or complication.

Minimally Invasive Procedures
In some instances, new minimally invasive spinal orthopedic procedures can be done instead of open surgery. Instead of cutting through the muscle and exposing the spine, a trained surgeon can use a thin, flexible tube with a microscope camera attached to it. This requires only a tiny incision in the back, and the muscle fibers are pushed aside instead of being cut. The surgeon can run laser or surgical instruments down the tube and remove excess tissue to open up the area around the nerve.

Minimally invasive procedures, when they can be used, are safer and sometimes more effective than traditional spinal orthopedic procedures. You don?t have to be admitted to the hospital and are usually back to most of your normal activities within a few days.

Minimally invasive procedures are a wonderful option for some people, but they are not alw

Spinal stenosis is narrowing of an opening that the spinal cord or a spinal nerve passes through.

The spinal cord extends from the brain to the lower back and carries messages between the body and the brain in a top-down manner. It is encased in the spinal canal, an opening in the vertebral column that is protected by the bony parts of the vertebrae. The spinal canal is occupied by the spinal cord and the posterior longitudinal ligament, which sits between the cord and the back of the vertebra. Some people have congenitally narrow spinal canals and some people develop spinal stenosis later in life, usually due to ossification of the ligament.

The spinal nerves branch off of the spinal cord and pass through the neural foramen between the vertebrae. There?s a pair of spinal nerves between each pair of vertebrae, and they innervate the body parallel to the vertebrae. Spinal stenosis occurs when the neural foramen is narrowed or when vertebral structures encroach on the intervertebral space.

Causes
A lot of things can cause spinal stenosis. Some of them are:
? Congenital spinal stenosis?you are born with it
? Scoliosis or other progressive inherited conditions that narrow the spinal openings
? Injury that results in a slipped disc, vertebral fractures or other trauma to the vertebral column
? Medical conditions, such as Paget?s disease, where abnormal bone metabolism causes deformity of the vertebrae
? Toxins, particularly excessive exposure to fluoride in insecticides, which causes abnormal bone growth
? Degenerative diseases, such as arthritis, that are part of the aging process

Symptoms
Symptoms of spinal stenosis are due to nerve compression, and depend on where the compression is located.

Cervical spinal stenosis affects the nerves to the neck and arms, so the symptoms are pain and other sensory abnormalities in the neck, shoulders and arms, weakness of the shoulders or arms and difficulty grasping things. Symptoms are usually on one side or the other. If the spinal cord is involved, you can also have gait problems and loss of coordination.

Lumbar spinal stenosis involves the nerves in the lower back. Leg pain or numbness are the most common symptoms; weakness in one or both legs also occurs. With lumbar stenosis, symptoms are more likely to be on one side or the other.

Treatment
Spinal stenosis is usually treated with anti-inflammatories and pain medication as long as possible. If the pain is intractable or if there are functional problems, like weakness, the narrowed openings are opened up surgically. Sometimes the surgery can be done through an endoscope instead of with traditional surgical methods.

Thoracic spinal stenosis is a condition in which the spinal cord or spinal nerves are compressed by narrowing of the spinal canal or the openings between vertebrae. The thoracic spine has some unique characteristics that make thoracic spinal stenosis a little different than stenosis in other areas. Thoracic spinal stenosis rarely occurs in isolation, but is almost always accompanied by stenosis in the lumbar area, and sometimes also the cervical spine.

There are 12 thoracic vertebra and they articulate with the 12 sets of ribs that protect our major organs. The thoracic spine curves outward, and the curve is gentler than the cervical or lumbar curves. Because of the ribs, the thoracic spine is more fixed than the cervical or lumbar areas, too. Most of the motion of the thoracic spine is rotation, with little flexion or extension.

The spinal canal is naturally narrower in the thoracic area, even though the size of the spinal cord remains the same. That means there is less extra space, so it takes less obstruction to cause problems.

Symptoms
Like cervical and lumbar spinal stenosis, thoracic spinal stenosis can be congenital or acquired. There is a great deal of difference, however, in how it is manifested.

Most thoracic spinal stenosis is due to degenerative changes?arthritis in the joints, bone spurs, disc degeneration and other changes due to aging. As the degeneration progresses, you may experience pain in your back and legs, either aching in your legs when you walk that gets better when you rest, or pain that radiates down your back or legs. You may develop problems with walking or loss of bowel or bladder function.

Because the thoracic spinal canal is already naturally narrow, people with congenital spinal stenosis cannot tolerate any extra pressure on the spinal cord. They tend to develop symptoms of cord compression (loss of sensation or movement below the injury) rapidly after minor injury.

Treatment
Degenerative thoracic spinal stenosis may get better with conservative treatment, which includes anti-inflammatory medications, pain management and physical therapy. Steroid injections or nerve blocks may help manage the pain.

If the pain is uncontrolled or if there are signs of cord compression, however, surgery is necessary to relieve pressure on the cord or spinal nerves. Traditional surgical options are laminectomy or corpectomy to provide more room in the spinal canal and spinal fusion to stabilize the spine and prevent damage to the cord.

Minimally invasive surgery may be an option for some cases of thoracic stenosis. Surgery is done through an endoscope using a microscope to directly visualize the spine. Microsurgical techniques allow the surgeon to perform precise, delicate maneuvers to remove the nerve pressure and repair structures.

Spinal stenosis is narrowing of any of the vertebral openings that nerves go through. The narrowing compresses the nerve, and symptoms appear due to impaired nerve function. The spine is composed of approximately 33 interlocking bones, called vertebrae. It has two major functions: structural and functional. Structurally, the spine allows us to stand upright, provides a place for muscles, tendons and other bones to attach to, and gives us the flexibility to turn, bend and twist. Functionally, the spine provides protection for the spinal cord and distribution of spinal nerves.

The spinal cord carries all the messages between our brains and our bodies. Some of the fibers carry motor (movement) instructions to the body, and some carry sensation information to the brain. A pair of spinal nerves branch off of the cord and exit the spine between each pair of vertebrae, carrying messages to and from the body in that area. Nerves from the cervical spine go to the face, neck and diaphragm. Thoracic nerves go to the arms and chest. Lumbar nerves go to the hips, legs, rectum, urethra and sexual organs.

Each vertebra has a total of five openings that nerves pass through: the spinal canal, which contains the spinal cord, two neural foramina, or openings in the bone for the nerve root, and two intervertebral spaces. Spinal stenosis occurs when any of these openings is narrowed enough to compress a nerve.

Some people are born with spinal stenosis, or a congenital narrowing of the spinal canal or other openings. Spinal stenosis can be secondary to other congenital abnormalities, such as scoliosis or achondroplasia.

Most of the time, people acquire spinal stenosis as they age; it?s rare in people younger than 50. Calcium deposits develop in the ligaments between vertebrae, we grow bone spurs, the vertebra don?t fit together like they once did and they slip out of alignment?these are normal changes that occur as we get older, but they can cause spinal stenosis. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis in the discs and facet joints contribute to spinal stenosis, too.

There are a few conditions that cause spinal stenosis that are neither congenital nor the result of aging. Tumors can invade any of the spinal spaces and compress nerves. Paget?s disease is a bone disorder that causes the vertebrae to thicken, obstructing the openings. Fluorosis, or excessive exposure to fluoride, causes calcification of the ligaments around the spinal openings. The posterior longitudinal ligament, which runs down the back behind the spinal cord, may turn to bone and put pressure on nerves.

Although there are several causes of spinal stenosis, the mechanism is always the same: a narrowed opening compresses a nerve, and that causes sensory and functional symptoms.

85% of people suffer from some kind of back pain, with numbers rising every year. Australians spend a staggering $9 billion/year for back pain related costs ? treatments, medication, loss of productivity etc. I used to be one of them, not here in Australia, but in Germany where the problem is similar. Until I found out about a German farmer who had developed a technique called Dorn Spinal Therapy.

Having studied Natural Therapies in Germany of course I was open to alternative approaches to treat back pain. Although I must say I didn?t really think of having the pain treated as it just lived with me. It wasn?t anything really really bad, I just couldn?t stand or walk comfortably for prolonged periods of time. And I didn?t give it much attention as I knew so many other people with back problems not finding any relieve.

And just because back pain is so common many people tend to believe it is normal to have it, to live with it. Back pain is not normal, it is your body?s cry for help!

Then a friend told me about this new treatment that she had experienced and with her history of back pain, being excited about a treatment must be something worthwhile taking a closer look at. The workshop I attended showed me an easy to learn and to apply way to approach and resolve back pain, neck pain and headaches. Although I felt a bit sore and stiff after the weekend workshop it took only 3 days before I realised that my pain had gone and that I now could stand and walk without feeling my lower back aching. It took a while to sink in but I knew this was a treatment I definitely wanted to make my main focus in my work.

Back pain, particularly lower back pain, is often related to a difference in leg length. Many people have some kind of leg length difference without knowing about it or they get their shoes built up or simply inlays to balance the difference. But instead of a mechanical solution Dorn Spinal Therapy uses a manual approach by bringing the joints back into their optimal position, reconnecting them, and by doing so regulating the leg length difference. The idea behind this approach is that due to what ever we do, exercises, walking in a funny way, sitting with crossed legs, sitting in soft chairs or in cars for prolonged periods of time, the joints become “unconnected”. This movement in the joints then creates a little gap in the joint which ultimately leads to different long legs. Reconnecting the joints of the longer leg with easy exercises helps in most cases, where the difference is not due to a measured bone length difference.

What happens when you walk on different long legs? The longer leg pushes against the hip and the hip consequently moves either forward, backward or up which creates an instability in the entire hip area and therefor an unstable base for the spine. This instability will lead to lower or upper back pain, even to neck pain and/or headache.

When I heard all this it made my head spin but eventually I understood the concept behind it ? and found it quite simple. Just as simple as working with the technique for the leg length balancing which anyone can do. And sometimes it might just be that little movement that helps relieving back pain.

When the legs are balanced the hip sometimes will balance itself out as well. But if not there is a simple way for the practitioner to do so. And then of course there is the spine itself and the individual vertebrae that need attention. And when I felt my course buddy working along my spine I couldn?t believe how many spots there were where my vertebrae were not exactly in the position they should be in ? all contributing to my general back problem. Every time I felt such a sore spot, I was asked to swing my opposite leg or arm whilst my buddy massaged this deviated vertebra back into alignment. He explained me that the movement relaxes and distracts the muscles and the spine and that then it is much easier for the deviated vertebra to make its way back into the right spot. And that it could not move too far as the muscles on the opposite side were working with the movement and therefor presented a natural barrier. Seemed very logical and nearly too easy to be true. But again ? reality proved the technique right and that is what in the end counts: loosing pain, the easier the better.

The last part was the neck, no major problem in my case, but in many people it is a big problem and again, Dorn Spinal Therapy offers a simple and very effective approach as I could learn later in many many life cases in my own clinic.

The alignment procedure finished, we finally got to the relaxing part of the treatment which is the Breuss massage. A spinal stretch massage after the famous Dr. Breuss to nourish and relax the spine and support the manual work that had been done prior. Very nice, very relaxing and it takes off the memory of the fact that there might have been a few sore moments during the alignment treatment.

Dieter Dorn, the founder of Dorn Spinal Therapy is a very simple man and found this technique by accident when he himself suffered from a terrible back. But he didn?t leave it there, he was curious enough to go ahead and find out how it worked to spread the word and make it available to more and more people, practitioners as well as non practitioners. But as successful as the treatment may be, it still is the individual that has to look after their body, take responsibility for their own wellbeing. A good posture, healthy diet, enough water, good night sleeps, exercise and emotional balance are just as important in treating back problems as the actual treatment itself. Dorn Spinal Therapy includes a number of easy to do exercises, which support the work a practitioner has done and hands back responsibility to the client. In the end we cannot fix anyone who does not take on their own part in the getting better process.

Today Dorn Spinal Therapy is available in more and more countries around the world and therefore more and more clients can benefit from it. In Australia there are around 100 practitioners but this is only the start of a big change in addressing back and neck pain treatment. For more information on treatments and trainings please go to http://www.dornspinaltherapy.com

Spinal Transplant - A Chinese Remedy - Remove Your Back Pain Victims of chronic back pain were offered fresh hope with news of successful “spinal transplant” surgery. Spinal discs from accident victims were transplanted into patients with disc degeneration in the cervical spine in the cervical spine, the area nearest the neck. All reported improvements in their mobility and a reduction in symptoms such as weakness of legs and bladder.

A report in the Lancet says the pioneering treatment, carried out in china, offers hope for thousands or may be millions of sufferers of severe disc problems, particularly young people.

They often cannot be helped by existing treatments such as spinal fusion - which surgically joins bones in the spine, making them rigid - or artificial material to replace the defective discs. In some cases, these methods cause further degeneration of the disc above and below the area are most affected.

The disc transplants were carried out by doctors at the Navy General Hospital, Beijing, and the University of Hong Kong. Although disc transplants have been carried out in primates, it is a first time doctors have reported such surgery in humans.

The discs consists of cartilage that cushions the individual movements of vertebral bones. When the discs wear away or are damaged by disease, the bones press on nerves, causing pain and restricting movement.

Nia Taylor, chief executive of Back Care, said “It would be very interesting to read the full details because there are a minority of people for whom a problem with discs does not naturally get better. We would welcome any new treatment that can help.”

The Chinese doctors used 13 discs, which was frozen and thawed out prior to transplant. Within three months the donor discs had successfully bedded in with existing spinal disc tissue. Now, five years later, all the patients show improvement and none has rejected the donor material.

TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT Cervical Spondylosis and Spinal Transplant

SCANNING THE SPINAL CORD

The spinal cord is a highly sensitive nerve thread. It extends up to 18 inches. The spinal cord is the communication highway between the brain and other parts of the body. The spinal cord along with the brain constitutes vital parts of the central nervous system (CNS). Incidentally, the CNS is the main managing unit of our body.

THE JOB OF SPINAL CORD

The spinal cord does the linkup job via bundles of neuron or peripheral nerves. These nerves are of two types, viz., UMNs (Upper Motor Neurons) and LMNs (Lower Motor Neurons). The UMNs are the spinal tract messengers. They carry the stimuli from the brain to other spinal nerves and vice versa.

On the other hand, the LMNs communicate with targeted sections of the body. The LMNs have entry and exit points at each vertebral stage. The LMN sensory portions convey sensation information from the skin and other organs as well as body parts to the brain. The LMN motor portions carry forth messages from brain to different parts of the body. Thus, the LMN brings about movement of the muscles.

WHAT CONSTITUTES THE SPINAL CORD?

The spinal cord is made up of mainly gray matters. The spinal cord also remains surrounded by certain white substances. Most of the gray materials are dendrites and cell bodies. The white portion called tracts is made up of interneuronal axons bundles. These tracts are the messengers to and from the brain.

Whereas some tracts carry stimuli or information to the brain (hence identified as ascending) the others convey such information from the brain (therefore called descending).

THE VERTEBRA

Several bone rings called vertebrae (singular is vertebra) enfold the spinal cord. These bones go to construct the back bone or the spinal column. Depending on their locations, the vertebrae are christened. The eight Cervical Vertebrae are located in the neck. From top to bottom, they are identified as C-1 to C-8. Similarly, the dozen chest vertebrae are known as the Thoracic Vertebrae. Take for instance the top rib is attached to the first thoracic vertebra (T-1).

LOCATING THE SPINAL CORD

The spinal cord starts from the brain stem (the lower portion) and ends at the vertebra called ?L1? or the first lumbar. It passes via the vertebral backbone at the central portion of body?s dorsal side. From L1, the spinal cord assumes the form of Cauda Equina. Notably, only spinal nerves continue from this stage. There is no spinal cord beyond the first or the second lumbar vertebrae.

CAUDA EQUINA

This Latin term means the tail of a horse. Cauda equina resembling the hairy tail-end of a horse is actually an extension of the spinal cord. It is made up of nerve rootlets. This structure is located at the spinal column?s lower end (vertebra L3).The spinal cord remains only till the Cauda equina. These hairy roots extend the communication network to the spine end. Cauda equina stay suspended within spinal fluid.

INSULATION OF SPINAL CORD & THE VERTEBRAL COLUMN

This spinal cord stays insulated within the vertebral column. The vertebral column moves via the spinal canal. The vertebral column is made up of vertebrae. The vertebrae are divided into five clusters (from bottom to top): the coccyx, sacrum, lumbar vertebrae, thoracic and the cervical. Within each vertebrate the spinal cord is shielded by a bony casing comprising the vertebral column.
Mentionably, the spinal cord passes down to the sacral vertebrae within a human fetus. But as a person grows, his spinal cord develops slower than the body. As a consequence thereof, the spinal cord touches only the first or second lumbar vertebrae during the person?s adulthood.

UNDERSTANDING SPINAL CORD INJURY (SCI)

When the spinal cord suffers any damage, it is called Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). Such SCI may even lead to serious dysfunctions. It is to be noted that a person may not have his/her spinal cord severed; but even then that person may suffer from SCI. It is important to note that SCI is vastly different from back injuries like pinched nerves, spinal stenosis, and ruptured disks.

An SCI cannot happen only if the bones (the vertebrae) surrounding the spinal cord are damaged and the spinal cord is not affected at all. Mentionably, if the vertebrae are damaged the patient may not even suffer immediate paralysis if those broken vertebrae get stabilized following a surgery.

RECURRENT SCI EFFECTS

A person having recurrent SCIs may even lose mobility and the sense of feeling. The two major causes of such frequent SCIs are diseases and trauma. The diseases that lead to SCI are among others Friedreich?s Ataxia, spina bifida, and polio. Trauma can be the result of sudden shocking events like gun shots, and vehicle accidents, to mention but two.

NERVE & SPINAL CORD STRUCTURES

Among the prominent spinal cord and nerve structures are the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF), Meninges and Dermatones. The Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) is a shock absorber. This clear fluid moves around the tissues. It is also the primary agent shielding the spinal cord from any injuries. The CSF is located within the spinal cord, the spinal canal and the Ventricles (brain chambers). This clear liquid gets secreted from the brain?s ventricles (forming the vascular portion) known as the Choroids Plexus. The CSF consists of various glucose, proteins, and electrolytes. A normal adult generally possesses approximately 150 milliliters of CSF.

The Meninges provide the membrane protection cover to the spinal cord and the brain — the two main agents of the Central Nervous System. Meninges are of three types viz., Pia Mater, Arachnoid Mater, and Dura Mater. The highly vascular and most delicate membrane is the pia mater. Our neural structures get blood from these membranes. The arachnoid mater is made up of veins and arteries. A fluid known as the cerebrospinal fluid fills up the Subarachnoid space. The dura mater layer is thicker than arachnoid mater. The dura mater makes up the outer layer of the nerve roots and the spinal cord. It is gray in color. It is made up of sturdy connective tissues. The Dermatome is made up of skin mater. This portion is constituted of fibers that emanate from the root of a spinal nerve.

About the Author:

Nilutpal Gogoi is a writer and a freelance journalist.He has published more than 1000 articles and a popular adventure book for children. For information on more ailments and cures log on to http://www.fithealthsite.com/ http://www.ifitnessworld.com/ http://www.yourwellbeingcenter.com/

The narrowing of the spaces in the spine backbone results in pressure on the spinal cord and the nerve roots. The narrowing down may involve a small part or a large area of the spine. This narrowing may be a result of an injury to the spine due to accident or a natural aging process. Usually spinal stenosis arrives in both men and women after the age of 50.

To enable the doctor to decide whether spinal stenosis surgery is required or not a patient needs to give to the surgeon his complete medical history. Without any biases about the symptoms and the general health condition, the patient should submit the information to doctor. The medical professional will proceed with the physical test and examinations then.

This is done to enable the doctor to form his own expert opinion. The patient?s movements are checked. Any painful symptoms when the patient overextends the spine by bending backwards are also checked. The examination is done basically for the normal neurologic function such as muscle strength, reflexes and sensation.

When X rays, MRIs and Computer axial tomography (CAT) are common for even ordinary types of diseases, how an important one like spinal stenosis can escape these tests? A bone scan is also performed along with other tests.

In many cases the non-surgical treatment is not the permanent answer to treat spinal stenosis. The non-surgical methods may relieve your pain in some cases. But when the weakness and the numbness of the back and legs persist, the surgical operation is the only option left.

If the state of the patient?s health demands so, he may be operated immediately. Patient’s preference is also one of the important factors in deciding about the operation.

The purpose of the surgery is simple and direct. That is, to relieve the pressure on the spinal cord or nerves and to maintain alignment and strength of the spine. The surgeon knows how to achieve the best results. The diseased parts need to be adjusted, removed and trimmed, wherever necessary. Various devices are used to strengthen the unstable segments.

In spite of the best efforts of the surgeon, operation is not the final answer. He will prescribe the post operation exercising regimen. But then with such methods the present damage can be healed to a great extent and the chances of future trouble is drastically reduced as well.