The physiotherapeutic approach for spinal stenosis in the lower back
The most important and promising approach in the therapy of spinal stenosis in the lumbar spine is movement. Movement maintains the blood circulation and the muscles, promotes flexibility and protects against long rigid positions and thus constant pressure on the overloaded structures. Walking quickly instead of constantly standing is advised, backstroke, walking and taking the bicycle more often.
Patients of advanced age in particular should take care to keep fit regularly. In physiotherapy, the structures can be relieved by grips of manual therapy, such as traction of the spine. This is also caused by the position in the sling table and usually brings a pleasant relief.
In the long term, however, it is important to train even the stabilizing muscles around the spine. Static exercises for back and abdomen are appropriate. Suitable exercises are, for example, the board position in the forearm support, push-ups, etc. Static exercises can be found in the article Physiotherapy isometric exercises.
How does it come to the narrowing of the spinal canal – The causes
Spinal canal stenosis is usually caused by a sign of aging. Through lifelong wear and tear of the intervertebral discs, the body tries to maintain its place through bony attachments to the vertebrae. However, these attachments exert pressure on the structures, such as the spinal nerves in their exit holes.
The stabilizing ligaments can also thicken and exert additional pressure. Another cause of spinal canal stenosis can be the so-called spondylolisthesis. Due to instability of the passive and active system, individual vertebrae slip out of their physiological position and thus also cause the lack of space.
Specific exercises can be found in the article Physiotherapy Spondylolisthesis. In most cases, spinal canal stenosis is a degenerative disease of elderly people. The disease often begins with pain in the lower back.
Due to the pressure on the nerves, this pain can radiate into the legs. After a longer period of existence, numbness, weakness and a feeling of heaviness in the legs are added. The unpleasant symptoms lead to a restricted walking distance.
The pain occurs particularly when standing and walking, as well as during back extension, where the structures are further constricted. As a preventive measure, there is a relief. In common parlance, this is also known as the so-called shop window disease: Affected people have to stand permanently and slightly bend their upper body forward to relieve the lower back, like when they go window-shopping, in which they stop and bend over again to look at something. Sitting and, for example, riding a bicycle also have a relieving effect on the back.
