You have joints in the spine like everywhere else in the body, and there is a saying- “Use it or Lose it.” You can stay active or lazy, but remember, the choice you make will either help you in fighting Spinal Stenosis or make you suffer more. The key to fighting this trouble is to know exercises that are enjoyable and doable.
“Prevention is better than Cure.” Before having an idea about the exercises that may help fight Lumbar Spinal Stenosis, let us just talk about the advantages of staying fit.
Importance of Exercising:
- Working out improves the blood flow, bringing the oxygen and nutrients that are needed to wash away the toxic metabolites.
- Exercising gives strength to the muscles around the spine; that helps it in taking the pressure of the bones.
- Exercises improve the flexibility of the body.
- It helps in maintaining the body weight.
- The most important benefit of exercising is balancing the emotional and mental health.
Now that we know how exercise can help us in every aspect let us just talk about the exercises that are effective enough in treating Lumbar Spinal Stenosis.
Effective Exercises for Spinal Stenosis:
An effective exercising program for the people suffering from Lumbar Spine includes the combination of strengthening, stability and endurance-related physical activities. Depending on the level of your pain and condition, the doctor may prescribe you with a different set of exercises. Some of them are:
- Cycling is the best way to keep your legs and back in continuous motion. Many people find cycling enjoying and a result driven activity.
- Water therapy or swimming also helps in delivering positive benefits.
- The combination of gym exercises and massage therapy is an effective way to learn to stretch and build strength.
- Under situations when the patient is facing unbearable pain, doctors usually ask the patients to go for Tai Chi classes that slowly and deliberately involves the movements of the entire body.
Causes of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis:
Any condition that creates a gap between the spinal canal and the vertebral foramen is the reason for the spinal stenosis. The conditions include:
- Tumors that spread from one body part to the other.
- Infections
- Bone disorders that are responsible for an additional growth of bone-like Paget’s disease of the bone.
Symptoms of Spinal Stenosis:
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis can give rise to the following problems:
- Pain in the lower back
- Numbness
- Weakness
- Body ache
- Reduced sensation in the legs and feet
In many situations, the symptoms increase with time. The painful sensations originate from the legs and keeps on increasing with walking and maintaining the same posture for a long duration. These sensations in the legs are sometimes misunderstood with Sciatica. The symptoms get worse with time as arthritis is a disease that becomes more serious as the time passes. If you do not get timely treatment, the compression on the Lumbar Spinal Stenosis nerves can cause severe weakness and may even cause a situation that the legs won’t be able to function.
If you have severe symptoms that are interfering with the daily routine, it is good to discuss it with your doctor. He will prescribe you the best medication, exercises, and therapies that can cure Lumbar Spinal Stenosis.