Lumbar spinal stenosis is no stranger to us. As we get older, lumbar spinal stenosis has become a common condition in middle-aged and elderly people with degenerative lumbar spine pathologies causing back and leg pain. What is spinal stenosis? Lumbar spinal stenosis, as the name implies, is a reduction in the volume of the lumbar spinal canal, resulting in compression of the canal contents and corresponding neurological dysfunction. Clinically, lumbar spinal stenosis is one of the most common conditions that cause low back pain or low back pain. The clinical features of lumbar spinal stenosis are intermittent claudication, as well as pain, discomfort, and weakness in the buttocks, thighs, and calves, aggravated by walking or posterior extension, and in severe cases, patients with lumbar spinal stenosis present is abnormal sensation in the saddle area (perineum) and abnormal bowel and urinary function. When the body is extended posteriorly, the volume of the spinal canal is further reduced, leading to an increase in symptoms. Intermittent claudication: The so-called intermittent claudication is commonly known as sitting or lying without any discomfort in the legs, but when you stand up, you feel numbness and weakness in one or both lower limbs, and you need to sit or lie down to rest after walking a certain distance. This is called intermittent claudication in medical terms. Why does lumbar spinal stenosis occur? Etiologically speaking, spinal stenosis can be classified as congenital or acquired. Congenital lumbar spinal stenosis includes cartilage hypoplasia and stenosis of unknown origin. The most common clinically acquired stenosis is due to acquired degenerative lesions. It is caused by pathologic anatomical changes such as hypertrophy and laxity of the ligamentum flavum, hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the small joints and bones at the posterior edge of the vertebral body, and herniated and bulging intervertebral discs, resulting in narrowing of the lumbar spinal canal causing compression of its contents and corresponding neurological dysfunction. How to prevent it in normal times? 1, insist on health examination For patients with typical symptoms, they should go to hospital for active examination. For workers who have engaged in strenuous lumbar sports, attention should be paid to check whether there is a fracture of the vertebral arch, etc. If there is such a structural defect, the protection of the lumbar back should be strengthened to prevent repeated injuries. 2, correct poor posture sitting, do not cross the “legs”, “sitting legs”, bending work, do not bend too long, do not over-bend, should be appropriate in situ activities, intermittently do some stretching activities, especially lumbar back activities, in order to Relieve muscle fatigue. 3, appropriate exercise to make the back muscles strong and powerful, can prevent soft tissue damage to the low back, walking and swimming and other exercises with the right amount of exercise can help reduce the load on the lumbar spine, strengthen the muscles of the low back. 4, avoid excessive weight Excessive weight can increase the load on the human lumbar spine, increasing the possibility of lumbar degenerative lesions. 5, pay attention to warmth in order to avoid wind, cold and damp invasion of the diseased parts of the human body, at the same time, to avoid the recurrence of the disease induced by strain. How to treat lumbar spinal stenosis? Conservative treatment: If the patient’s symptoms are not serious, after 3 months of conservative treatment, most patients’ symptoms can be significantly relieved. 1.Bed rest Generally take the flexed hip and knee position to lie on the side, and the symptoms can be relieved or disappear after 3 to 5 weeks of rest. For elderly and frail patients, long-term bed rest is likely to cause complications such as muscle atrophy, deep vein thrombosis and pneumonia, so it is recommended that it should not exceed 2 to 3 weeks. 2.Medication Give appropriate amount of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). 3.Aerobic exercise Lumbar flexion can increase the volume and effective cross-sectional area of the spinal canal and reduce the compression of the cauda equina. The increase in abdominal muscle strength can also antagonize the mechanical pressure on the spinal canal to which the nerve tissue is subjected. 4.Epidural space injection treatment Selective nerve root injection treatment is a necessary treatment before surgical treatment, because the treatment better identifies the nerve root that is stuck and also relieves pain, both as a diagnosis and as a treatment. Surgical treatment: If conservative treatment is ineffective for 3 months, with significant and persistent worsening of self-conscious symptoms that affect normal life and work; or if there is significant nerve root pain and clear neurological impairment, especially severe cauda equina damage; as well as progressive worsening of lumbar spine slippage and scoliosis accompanied by the appearance of corresponding clinical symptoms, surgical treatment is required. In the past 5-10 years, with the development of minimally invasive spine surgery, the surgical treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis has become more and more minimally invasive. Minimally invasive surgery can compensate for the disadvantages of large incisions, heavy bleeding, and poor recovery effects due to the destruction of soft tissues, bone and joint structures, and can better preserve the integrity of the posterior ligamentous complex structure of the spine.