Canal stenosis, or narrowing of the central spinal canal, can have a very disruptive effect on your life. Pain and other symptoms caused by this condition can negatively affect your relationships, work and your ability to accomplish basic tasks like working in the yard or preparing a meal.

If you’ve been dealing with these issues, you may wonder if canal stenosis surgery is an appropriate choice for your condition. Of course, it’s best to speak with your doctor about consulting with a surgeon to determine if surgery might help in your specific circumstance. However, there are certain questions that you should consider as you weigh your options prior to visiting a surgeon.

Have you fully explored conservative treatments?

If you’re thinking about canal stenosis surgery, odds are that you have already tried several nonsurgical treatments to address your symptoms. Perhaps you have been taking pain medication, completing physical therapy or applying heat or ice to an affected area of the neck or back to help manage pain and other discomfort. It is also important to consider lifestyle and health factors like weight, tobacco use and posture that can affect your spine health and contribute to canal stenosis. Give each treatment some time to work and to evaluate the results that you are seeing from each of them. In many cases, canal stenosis symptoms can be effectively managed without the need for surgery.

How intense are your symptoms?

Although surgeons have made great strides in minimizing complications from surgery, each procedure has potential risks for the patient. For that reason, you should consider what benefits you’d stand to gain from a surgery versus any potential risks that are associated with the operation. If you have particularly intense symptoms that are preventing you from completing everyday activities like household chores or work, and conservative treatments are not helping, then the risks of canal stenosis surgery may seem mild in comparison.

What are your options for canal stenosis surgery?

If you or your physician think surgery might be an option for you, it’s vital to research all of your available options and weigh their pros and cons. In the past, the only available canal stenosis surgery options were traditional open spine procedures, which involve large incisions and require long periods of recuperation. Now, there are also minimally invasive spine surgeries like those performed by the highly skilled surgeons at USA Spine Care. Our procedures are safer and effective alternatives to open spine surgery, helping patients find relief from their symptoms without a lengthy recovery.

To learn more about us and our minimally invasive spine surgery, contact USA Spine Care today. We offer a no-cost MRI review* to determine if you are a potential candidate for one of our procedures.