Your spine plays a critical role in your body, allowing mobility through your trunk while stabilizing you. It also houses your spinal cord — the core part of your central nervous system.
Because your spinal cord contains so many nerves that receive signals and send them to your brain, a problem with your spine can be particularly painful. That’s the case for many people with lumbar spinal stenosis — a narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back.
If you’ve been having lower back pain paired with weakness or numbness in your legs or feet, stenosis could be to blame. Fortunately, Patrick S Hill, MD, has extensive experience treating this issue from our office in Beverly Grove, Los Angeles, California.
When you visit Dr. Hill because you're experiencing lower back pain, he starts the process by finding the source of the problem. That means he determines if you have spinal stenosis and, if so, what’s causing it. It is commonly associated with bone overgrowth.
Spinal stenosis develops when your spinal column narrows to the point where it puts pressure on your spinal cord and nearby nerves. For most people, this issue gradually develops over time, and as it does, symptoms worsen.
When the stenosis (narrowing) occurs in your lower back (lumbar spine), you might experience symptoms like:
With this condition, you might notice that your pain is worse when you walk downhill but lessens when you walk uphill. Leaning forward might also help to ease your discomfort because it alleviates some pressure on your lower spine.
If Dr. Hill determines that you have lumbar spinal stenosis, he doesn’t stop there. He goes one step further to identify the source of the spinal column narrowing.
There are many reasons for the narrowing of the spine — from arthritis or a herniated disc to a tumor on your spine.
Bone overgrowth — or the growth of new bone that presses into your spinal column — is another common cause. That’s why, to properly address stenosis, Dr. Hill needs to determine the cause.
He generally orders an X-ray as part of the diagnosis process. This allows him to see if there’s any excess bone growth.
In many cases, bone spurs develop because of osteoarthritis. As the cartilage in your spine wears away, your vertebrae can rub against one another. They grow new bone in an attempt to protect the area. If that new bone grows into your spinal column, it can press on your spinal cord, causing your symptoms.
Osteoarthritis isn’t always to blame for bone overgrowth. Other conditions, like Paget’s disease, can also cause it.
Dr. Hill tailors treatment to bring you relief. If bone overgrowth is to blame, that usually means a surgical procedure to remove the excess bone.
Because Dr. Hill specializes in robot-assisted spine surgery, he can usually perform this procedure minimally invasively. With the excess bone removed, you should get relief from your symptoms.
To find out what’s causing your lower back pain and to explore treatment, call our office or schedule your appointment online today.
