Lumbar Spinal Stenosis – Surgery

Transcript

Surgical intervention for lumbar stenosis depends on the nature and the severity of the symptoms that are associated with the lumbar stenosis. If there is significant or progressive weakness in the legs as a result of lumbar stenosis or significant or progressive numbness or bowel / bladder incontinence, those are situations that require urgent attention from a physician. In the absence of significant numbness or weakness or bowel or bladder incontinence, decision about surgery is really a quality of life issue. If the symptoms are tolerable or improving on their own, then it’s reasonable to wait. If the symptoms are severe and getting worse with time and are significantly interfering with the quality of life and the function that is required, then surgery becomes a more reasonable option to be discussed with your physician.