5 TERRIBLE Pieces of Advice for Spinal Stenosis

Comments · 799

• LA

  @laurahenning2470 · 2 years ago

  I can't tell you the number of people - including medical professionals - who have said these things to me. Thank you for reinforcing what I thought all along!

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• CH

  @chrismarks7606 · 2 years ago

  After suffering from the effects of lumbar spinal stenosis (very typically L4-5 apparently) for 4 years, I finally bit the bullet this week and had keyhole decompression surgery in Sydney, Australia.<br>I am 74 years old and at 70 was still cycling and swimming most days in the summer months. One morning in March 2020, after a long and demanding bush walk the previous day, I woke up to find I couldn&apos;t walk to the bathroom. In ER they did an MRI which showed the usual &quot;degenerative changes&quot; in my lumbar spine that you would expect in someone my age, but said I was nowhere near qualifying for surgery. I was sent home with a box full of opioids and anti inflammatory drugs and the acute inflammation gradually settled down. But over time my left leg lost muscle mass and the nerve pain down the leg into my foot became so bad I was barely able to walk without tripping over. All the doctors and physio&apos;s I saw said the same thing: &quot;You need a hip replacement!&quot; But I knew that I no longer had the strength in my leg or buttock to recover from that operation, so I kept procrastinating. Finally, late last year, I saw a sports medicine Dr who reviewed my 2020 MRI and said I had severe stenosis of the spinal canal and L5 nerve root. From there it was just a matter of finding the right person to do the job, which I eventually did. Within hours of the operation to remove the synovial cyst which had been pressing on the spine and nerve root, I was walking pain free for the first time in years. I had a perfect night&apos;s sleep and my blood pressure which had been persistently high for years (180/95 before the operation) was back to normal (123/70) the morning after. So my advice to anyone suffering from SS, is find out what&apos;s causing it and get it fixed, surgically if need be. Don&apos;t just put up with it with pain killing or steroid injections that offer only temporary relief.

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• MA

  @malcolmjones3211 · 3 years ago

  Absolutely the best advice for genuine SS sufferers like me. The one extra advice I can give is try and lose weight, this has helped me alot. Keep up the great work Sir

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• EL

  @ellieadams1124 · 3 years ago (edited)

  NOPE! Mine started in my very early 40&apos;s, almost 20 years ago. My big toe became numb, and then one day my back was killing me, and by the end of the work day, I couldn&apos;t hold myself up. &nbsp;I was in horrific pain. I have lumbar and cervical stenosis. I was also diagnosed with osteoporosis in my 30&apos;s. Yep a shopping cart is a life saver! I am in pain all day and night everyday and have been for the last 25+ years. Pain wakes me up.

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• SA

  @sally8234 · 3 years ago

  I just started PT and she kept telling me I had to do extensions. I told her I wasn&apos;t going to do extensions. It just makes the pain worse. She was not convinced, but I stood my ground.

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• MA

  @markcrisp07 · 1 year ago

  the huge problem is you see ten different &quot;experts&quot; you get told ten different things...

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• KA

  @kathyrussell9610 · 2 years ago

  I&apos;ve been given all of these by well-meaning friends and family and ignored them. &nbsp;I discovered the shopping trolley trick on my own and would often go &quot;shopping&quot; for the exercise rather than to purchase anythiing. &nbsp;Because one can&apos;t go everywhere with a shopping trolley, I searched the internet and found upright rollators. &nbsp;I &nbsp;got one of these where I could support the weight of my upper body by my forearms. &nbsp;Now I can go for long walks, visit museums, and chat standing up at parties with no pain. &nbsp;It has been truly life changing.

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• JO

  @johnryan2874 · 2 years ago

  Each video gives different advice. Now I&apos;m totally confused.

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• JE

  @jenniferalbrecht5101 · 3 years ago

  Another thing that has helped me a lot is working with a PT who is versed in core strengthening, without compromising the back.

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• WO

  @Wolfspirit3 · 11 months ago

  For the first time, actually have someone who speaks the truth of this condition. They should all be this intelligent.

  17

• CA

  @calivalley9056 · 3 years ago (edited)

  Mine was so bad I had get injections and finally they burned several facet joint nerves, it helped but it’s temporary as the nerve repairs itself and pain returns. Also, the pain may be diminished but the condition still exists and I have found I get a false since of what I can do and push myself to far and then my muscles lock up or my right leg goes numb,burns or feels like it’s asleep. This started in my mid thirties after a bad fall while serving in the military, seems only to get worse, take care of yourself folks.

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• KA

  @kathiekonarzewski7765 · 3 years ago

  Absolutely agree with this advice. &nbsp;I have spinal stenosis and this makes complete sense. Thank you for your clear explanations.

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