If you’ve been diagnosed with canal stenosis, surgery might on your mind, particularly if you have been dealing with neck or back pain for a long time. Spinal narrowing can require treatment if a sensitive spinal nerve becomes crowded and compressed. A surgeon can help you find relief from your symptoms by addressing the source of the narrowing, which may be an inflamed joint, bone spur, herniated disc or thickened ligament. But, you should know that you may be able to find relief without surgery.

Do you really need surgery?

For many people, conservative treatments such as medications and physical therapy prove to be effective enough to eliminate the need for surgical intervention. For this reason, canal stenosis surgery is usually reserved as a last-resort treatment. Specifically, surgery may be appropriate for those who have tried to address their discomfort with nonsurgical methods over the course of several weeks or months but continue to experience severe symptoms that interfere with their daily life. Therefore, in deciding whether to proceed with elective canal stenosis surgery, the key question to ask yourself is whether you think you can live with your symptoms by managing them nonsurgically.

Factors your physician will consider

In addition to the nature of your symptoms, your physician will consider other unique factors to determine whether you are a surgical candidate. These include your:

• Age
• Lifestyle
• Preferences
• Treatment goals

If your physician recommends surgery for you and you elect to proceed, you should explore all of your options before committing to a specific type of canal stenosis surgery. For instance, if you are a candidate for a discectomy or laminotomy, you may have a choice between traditional open spine surgery and minimally invasive outpatient surgery.

USA Spine Care

At USA Spine Care, we offer minimally invasive spine surgery as an alternative to traditional open spine surgery for canal stenosis treatment. Unlike traditional open spine procedures, our surgery is performed on an outpatient basis using muscle-sparing techniques, which can help our patients avoid a lengthy recovery and rehabilitation period.^

If you’d like to learn more, contact USA Spine Care. We can determine if you are a candidate for our procedures through a no-cost MRI review.*

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