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Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Case Study

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Lumbar Spinal Stenosis My patient this week was hospitalized due to back surgery. He has DDD, which stands for degenerative disc disease, and he also has lumbar spinal stenosis. For this paper, I am going to focus on lumbar spinal stenosis. This disease is described as the narrowing of the open spaces within a patient’s spine, which can then put pressure on his/her spinal cord and the nerves that travel through the spine to his/her arms and legs (Spinal Stenosis, 2015). The most common cause of spinal stenosis is arthritis, but degenerative changes also occur in the spine as people age and this disorder often occurs in adults over sixty years of age (AAOS, 2013).
Signs and Symptoms Spinal stenosis may cause no signs or symptoms in some patients and in others extreme pain. Some signs and symptoms include back pain, burning pain in the buttocks or legs, numbness or tingling in the buttocks or legs, weakness in the legs, and “foot drop.” These symptoms are often relieved if the patient leans forward or sits down (AAOS, 2013).
Treatment …show more content…

Tests include x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and CT myelogram (Spinal Stenosis, 2015). After these exams, if the patient is diagnosed with the disorder treatment is then determined. There are numerous different treatment options. A main goal is to control pain so a patient can be prescribed multiple kinds of drugs including NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs, and opioids. Patients can also do physical therapy that includes stretching, massage, and strengthening. Other options are steroid injections, acupuncture, and chiropractic manipulation. If these treatment options bring about no success surgery is the next option (AAOS, 2013). There are many types of surgeries that can be performed for spinal stenosis and is determined based on the specific circumstances of the patient at

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