Resources | Spinal canal stenosis in the lumbar spine – conservative treatment without surgery

Resources

Among the aids for spinal canal stenosis that can alleviate the symptoms and are paid for by the health insurance company are

  • Spinal orthoses that can fix and immobilize the spine partially or completely. Bodices and corsets also belong to these spinal orthoses. They often contain elements for reinforcement such as metal rods or plastic shells and can relieve the damaged structures in everyday life. An important disadvantage of fixing orthoses is the reduction of the back muscles caused by immobilization. This process can further intensify the pain symptoms due to the increasing instability of the movement segments.
  • To maintain and extend the maximum walking distance, crutches or a walking stick can also be useful aids.
  • At home, individually adapted ergonomic chairs or even a standing desk are suitable for working.
  • As a complementary therapy, which can be carried out by the physiotherapist, spinal tapes are also available, which can have a stabilizing and muscle relaxing effect.
  • In addition, warming or cooling, as well as pain-relieving ointments such as Voltaren are medicinal remedies that alleviate the discomfort in the short term or after special stress.

Duration of the therapy

It is difficult to make a generally valid statement about the duration of therapy for spinal canal stenosis, as this depends on many different factors. In addition, spinal canal stenosis is a chronic disease and therefore in most cases, apart from surgical therapies, cannot be treated causally. Patients should be prepared for a lifelong discussion about the right back exercises and relief techniques.

If the symptoms worsen acutely, conservative treatment with physiotherapy and medication can extend from a few days to several months. After an operation, most patients have to stay in hospital for between 7 and 10 days, usually followed by an inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation measure lasting between 4 and 8 weeks. Depending on the type of job and with regard to individual differences in the fitness and condition of the patients, work can be resumed after this rehabilitation measure, for example, initially on a part-time basis or for a few hours per day.