While you can’t completely prevent spinal degeneration — it’s a normal process that happens as people age — there are certain things that you can do to help slow down the process. Reducing the amount of stress that your spine has to sustain on a regular basis can make you less prone to conditions like canal stenosis.
Diet, exercise, tobacco products and back pain
While you’ll want to clear any potential changes with your physician before you make them, five tips that you can consider include:
- Committing — to regular exercise (even just a few minutes of low-impact cardio or stretching every day can help you stay in shape)
- Maintaining — a healthy weight for your body frame
- Avoiding — tobacco products (or joining a smoking cessation program if you’re a current smoker)
- Wearing — flat, supportive shoes to help absorb some of the shock that your spine absorbs on a day-to-day basis
- Eating — a balanced, fruit- and vegetable-heavy diet that promotes overall wellness
Whatever options you choose, be sure to commit to them for the long haul. A few days of working out and eating well will certainly do your body good, but it is a sustained effort that will produce the most meaningful results.
What happens if you get canal stenosis?
If — despite taking preventive measures — you end up developing canal stenosis, you should still stick to your new, improved lifestyle. Eating well, avoiding tobacco products and staying active can help you manage your symptoms, as can select treatments such as medication and physical therapy. You can also take up yoga or start receiving therapeutic massage to help reduce your pain.
In the event that conservative treatments don’t produce the desired results, you can turn to USA Spine Care to explore your surgical options. We perform minimally invasive surgery for canal stenosis, offering a safer and effective alternative to open back operations.^ We can review* your MRI for free to help you find out if you’re a candidate. For more information, contact us today.
