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What is LSS?
If you or someone you know is suffering from lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), you are not alone. Each year, over 1.2 million people in the United States are diagnosed with this condition. LSS is a narrowing of your lower spinal canal, which may cause pain and numbness that limit your ability to walk or stand. Usually found in people over 50 years of age, the likelihood of developing LSS increases as we age.
In this section, you will learn about the causes and symptoms of LSS and the available treatment options, including a safe, new outpatient procedure that has reduced pain and improved mobility in thousands of patients.
Causes
Your spine provides support for your back and body. It also protects the spinal cord, the bundle of nerve tissues that runs from your brain to your lower body. The bony channel that encloses the spinal cord is called the spinal canal. Usually, there is enough space between the spinal cord and the spinal canal so the nerves that flow through and exit the spinal canal are free of obstruction.
As your body ages, however, the ligaments and bones outside the spinal canal may thicken and begin to press on the spinal canal, causing it to narrow. This narrowing of the spinal canal is called spinal stenosis. In fact, stenosis is a Greek word that means choking, which describes what happens to the spinal cord. When stenosis occurs in the lower part of the spine, it’s called lumbar spinal stenosis. This narrowing of the canal can compress or pinch nerve tissues, resulting in pain, numbness and limited mobility.
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| Spine with Stenosis | Healthy Spine |
There are several common causes of lumbar spinal stenosis, including osteoarthritis, disc degeneration, and thickened ligaments. Your doctor will perform a thorough examination and recommend the best treatment for you.
