What are the symptoms of spinal stenosis?

For most people, intervertebral canal stenosis is relatively unfamiliar. Intervertebral canal stenosis is a disease of the spine, which generally occurs in middle-aged and elderly people. In the early stage of intervertebral canal stenosis, symptoms such as low back pain, decreased walking ability, or shorter walking distance, leg pain, etc. will appear, affecting normal walking and life.

The symptoms of spinal stenosis refer to various forms of stenosis of the spinal canal, neural canal and intervertebral foramen, as well as changes in the spinal canal volume caused by soft tissue and stenosis of the dura mater sac itself, which lead to a series of low back and leg pain and a series of neurological symptoms, which is called lumbar spinal stenosis.

Symptom 1: Patients have obvious symptoms of low back and leg pain and intermittent claudication. This is the most important symptom of lumbar spinal stenosis. Patients often experience back and leg pain when walking one or two hundred meters. The symptoms will immediately ease or disappear after bending over to rest for a while or squatting. If they continue walking, the pain will reappear soon. Symptoms worsen when the spine is extended and relieved when the spine is flexed.

Symptom 2: Most patients with lumbar spinal stenosis have a history of lower back pain or suffer from lower back pain. The pain is generally mild and will be relieved or disappear by bed rest. There is no restriction on lumbar flexion, but extension is often limited.

Symptom three: Nerve root canal stenosis causes corresponding nerve root compression or irritation symptoms and signs. Some patients present with intermittent claudication, others present with persistent radicular symptoms, mostly soreness, numbness, swelling, and shooting pain, with varying degrees of pain.

The location of radicular symptoms is related to the compressed nerve root, manifested as decreased pinprick sensation, abnormal pain sensation, weakened muscle strength and abnormal tendon reflexes in the corresponding radicular distribution area.

Symptom 4: Cauda equina compression. Lumbar spinal stenosis can cause compression of the cauda equina, resulting in symptoms and signs in the saddle area and sphincter symptoms. In severe cases, symptoms of urinary and bowel movements and sexual dysfunction may occur.

Symptom 5: Compression of the cauda equina and nerve roots affects defecation and urination, and may even cause incomplete paralysis of the lower limbs. Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis often have many complaints but few physical signs. Examination showed no obvious spinal deviation, the lumbar spine was normal, and there was only pain in posterior extension. The straight leg raising test is normal or only moderate pulling pain. A small number of patients have lower limb muscle atrophy, and the Achilles tendon reflex is sometimes weakened or disappeared.