PUT AN X-STOP® TO SPINAL STENOSIS? NEW TREATMENT HOLDS PROMI

spine

It can show up later in life as a nagging pain in your back, maybe a numbness extending to your legs. What starts out as a “simple” backache can worsen, making it difficult for you to continue with your normal daily activities. The only time you feel relief is when you lean forward. If this sounds familiar to you, check with your doctor. You may have spinal stenosis. If so, there’s a new, minimally invasive treatment that may give you relief.

WHAT IS SPINAL STENOSIS?
Spinal stenosis refers to a narrowing of some section of the spine—at the center, in the nerve canals, or in the space between the vertebrae (the bones of the spine). The narrowing puts pressure on the nerves of the spinal cord, causing pain. Narrowing in the upper part of the spinal cord, between the shoulder blades, is called “cervical spinal stenosis;” in the lower part of the spinal cord, “lumbar spinal stenosis.”


CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS
Sometimes people are born with the condition, but spinal stenosis is most often an aging disease, caused by changes that occur in the spine as people get older—typically over 50. Bones and joints can swell or get bigger, ligaments that support the spine can get thick and hard, bone spurs may develop, discs may collapse and bulge (herniated), or one vertebra may slip over another. Arthritis may also be to blame, as well as tumors in the spine, injuries, Paget’s disease, inherited conditions, and calcium deposits. These various changes in the spine don’t necessarily cause pain, however. It’s only if something pressures or inflames the nerves around the compressed areas or in the spinal cord itself that pain develops. SymptomXs can then include pain, weakness, or numbness in the back, feet, legs, calves, or buttocks. The pain is classically worse when patients walk, and better when they stop and flex forward—because this movement opens up the spinal canal.

THE NEW X-STOP® TREATMENT
Non-surgical treatments for spinal stenosis include medications to reduce pain and swelling, corticosteroid injections to reduce swelling (usually only a temporary fix), rest, and physical therapy. When these options don’t work, your doctor may recommend surgery, to widen the spinal canal and relieve pressure on the spinal cord. The most common surgery is called “decompressive laminectomy,” in which the “roofs” (laminae) and possibly other sections of the vertebrae are removed to create more space for the nerves. Other surgeries include the “laminotomy,” where only a small portion of the lamina is removed; and the “foraminotomy,” where space is created around the nerve roots. At the office of Dr. Victor Katz, a new treatment—using an “X-Stop® Spacer”—provides relief for some patients without the more extensive laminectomy-type surgeries. An X-stop® is a titanium implant placed between the bony protrusions at the back of the spine, so that when you stand upright, the nerves in the back will not be pinched and cause pain. It’s designed to remain permanently in place, without attaching to the bones or ligaments in the back. The procedure is less invasive than traditional laminectomies, using only local anesthesia (though general anesthesia is an option) with a small incision made in the skin of the back. Surgery lasts about 45–90 minutes, and typically involves no removal of bone, allowing for faster recovery. According to back-pain-online.com, studies showed that approximately half of patients who received the X-Stop® device experienced pain relief and the ability to increase activity levels. Patients with mostly leg pain (rather than back pain), who feel worse with prolonged standing and bending backward, are the best candidates for this type of procedure. If you feel pain when walking, pain in your back and legs that’s limiting your daily activities, or relief when you bend forward, check with your doctor about a possible spinal stenosis diagnosis and treatment.

Dr. Victor Katz
3632 Nostrand Ave., 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11229

(718) 336-2258

444 Merrick Rd., Ste. 380
Lynbrook, NY 11563

(516) 775-0272