This blog is excerpted from a Healthline article by Nancy Lovering on February 17, 2021.

If you’re over age 50 and starting to experience discomfort in your back and legs, you’re not alone. You may have spinal stenosis, a common back condition that can affect how you walk. “Stenosis” is the Greek word for narrowing. If you have spinal stenosis, it means that parts of your spinal canal have narrowed and are putting pressure on your spinal nerves. Spinal stenosis can occur anywhere on your spine, but the most common locations are the neck and the lower back, also known as the lumbar region. The most common cause of spinal stenosis is osteoarthritis. This type of arthritis is caused by age-related wear and tear on the cartilage that protects your bones.

Osteoarthritis can cause spinal stenosis in two ways:

  • The wearing down of vertebrae cartilage can pinch nerves.
  • The vertebrae can develop bone spurs, which put pressure on nerves.

Other conditions that can cause spinal stenosis include:

The link between spinal stenosis and walking concerns

Your lumbar region is where your spinal cord ends in a collection of nerves that look like a horse’s tail, called the cauda equina. These nerves send and receive messages to and from your pelvic area and legs. Stenosis of your spinal canal interrupts these messages. As a result, lumbar spinal stenosis can cause walking problems.

If you have lumbar spinal stenosis, you may notice symptoms while walking or standing. These can include:

  • lower back pressure when upright
  • pain in your back, buttocks, or legs
  • leg numbness, cramping, or tingling
  • muscle weakness
  • a weak foot that drops (slaps down) when you walk

You may feel relief from these symptoms when you lean forward, sit, or crouch, or while riding a bike or pushing a shopping cart. This is because a forward-leaning position reduces pressure on your nerves. Contact your doctor right away if you have severe pain and difficulty standing up. You may have developed cauda equina syndrome, which puts stronger pressure on the nerves at the bottom of your spinal cord. If left untreated, this syndrome can cause permanent nerve damage.

Symptoms of cauda equina syndrome include:

  • disturbance or loss of bladder or bowel function
  • numbness in your inner thighs, back of legs, genital area, or anal region
  • severe pain or weakness in your legs that makes it difficult to stand up

Can walking help spinal stenosis?

Yes! Walking is a good exercise for spinal stenosis. It’s low impact, and you control the pace and distance.

If you’re able to walk without symptoms, incorporate this activity into your routine. Some ways to walk more include:

  • taking out the family dog
  • parking a few blocks away from your destination
  • running short errands on foot

Other lifestyle tips to help with spinal stenosis issues include: other exercises, a healthy diet, quality sleep, and of course, proper posture. Read more about these tips, and the full Healthline article here: https://www.healthline.com/health/spinal-stenosis-walking-concerns

What to do if your spinal stenosis is chronic?

Allow our physicians to review your case and verify how specifically our patented, outpatient procedures might be able to help you. We’ve performed over 70,000 procedures in the 35+ years we’ve been open with a 98.75% patient reported satisfaction rate. 65% of our patients come to us after failed back or neck surgeries from other facilities. We have helped thousands of people go back to living a pain-free life and our surgeons will be happy to verify if you are a candidate for our patented, outpatient Bonati Spine Procedures by reviewing your case. Simply call 844-663-0310 or complete our contact form here and a Bonati patient advocate will be happy to reach out to you directly to discuss.