Dr. Jeff Langmaid breaks down three types of spinal stenosis: central stenosis causes bilateral leg numbness and fatigue, foraminal stenosis causes one-sided radiating pain, and lateral recess stenosis causes sharp pain at the nerve root. Knowing which type you have guides treatment, and surgery isn't always necessary.
Spinal stenosis is typically hallmarked by neck pain, low back pain or numbness, and tingling traveling down your arms or legs. My name is Dr. Jeff Langmaid, and today we're going to talk about the three main types of stenosis. Once you have that information, that'll give you the education you need to get on the road to relief. So there are three main types of spinal stenosis, and let's break that down. First, spinal stenosis. Stenosis simply means pinching or compression. So. So when we talk about spinal stenosis, foraminal stenosis, or lateral recess stenosis, it simply means a pinch or a compression on the nerves that are either in and or exiting your spinal column. Spinal stenosis itself occurs right here on your spinal cord. So these are the bones or vertebra of your back. The disc resides in between. And down the backside is this nice wide hole that is where your spinal cord goes down, and it's called the spinal canal. However, when a disc, bone, or ligament bulges, herniates, or gets into that space, it can call what we call spinal stenosis, which means pinching stenosis on your spinal cord. The hallmark of this is numbness and tingling into the legs and feet, and also extreme fatigue. You might be able to only walk 500ft without having to squat or sit down. And then 500ft becomes 200ft becomes 100ft, and before you know it, you are always looking for the next chair to sit down in. That's the hallmark of spinal stenosis. That also usually takes place in both feet. When the spinal cord is pinched, it usually affects both legs equally. Now, when you have foraminal stenosis, the second type of stenosis, we'll speak of foraminal stenosis. That is your classic pinched nerve. And meaning the holes where the nerves come out the side of your spinal canal, those are the nerve roots. They can also become pinched by a disc, a ligament, or a bone spur. If that occurs in this hole, it usually results in extreme pain or numbness down one arm or one leg, depending upon whether it's pinched in the neck. That would cause arm issues, or whether you have a pinch in your low back, which can very commonly cause pain, pain or numbness and tingling in one or both legs. So that is foraminal stenosis, what we typically would talk about with a pinched or compressed nerve. And finally, the third type of stenosis is what we call lateral recess stenosis, and that is right at the junction point of where the nerve root is exiting out that spinal cord, that elbow, or that shoulder. If you want to think of it that little junction point right where the nerve root meets the spinal cord, if that area is pinched, that would be right in here. We call that lateral recess stenosis. And the hallmark of lateral recess stenosis, from what I've seen, is extreme acute and sharp pain. So this lateral recess stenosis typically can also occur because of a disc bone or ligament compression. And it can result in extreme pain down one or the other arm or leg, depending upon the position or place that it is pinched. So your three major forms or types of stenosis, which simply means pinching or compression, is spinal stenosis, pinching or compression on your spinal cord, foraminal stenosis, pinching or compression on the side where the nerve roots exit out, or lateral recess stenosis, which is right where that nerve root starts to exit the spinal canal. It's kind of right between spinal and foraminal stenosis. So those are the three primary types of stenosis. Once you know which type you have now you have the opportunity to really seek out the best physician, the best type of doctor to get on the road to recovery. The best news is regardless of which type of stenosis that you might be suffering with, it does not automatically mean that you need surgery. Regardless of whether it's spinal, foraminal or lateral recess stenosis, very often starting conservatively is the best way. Unless you have a red flag, you can have very good results by starting out with conservative care. So those are the three major types of stenosis. If you have any questions, leave them down below. My name is Dr. Jeff Langmaid and I will see you again in the next video where we break down how you can get healthy, stay healthy and live your best life. Hey, what's going on? If you loved that video, be sure to subscribe to this channel. The evidence based chiropractor puts out videos all the time at the intersection of marketing and research, showing you how to grow your practice while also growing your knowledge base. So if you liked it, be sure to comment down below or hit subscribe and I'll see you in the next video.
