Lumbar stenosis symptoms
People with stenosis may have back or leg pain or numbness. Your legs might also feel cramped, tired or weak. These symptoms usually start when you are standing or walking. Often, the symptoms get better if you sit, crouch or lie in the fetal position (on your side with your knees tucked up to your chest). It's thought that these positions "open" the lumbar canal and take the pressure off the nerves that go to the legs. In severe cases, stenosis can cause bowel or bladder problems.
Cervical stenosis symptoms
Symptoms of cervical stenosis with myelopathy People with this condition may note one or more of the following symptoms: Heavy feeling in the legs, Inability to walk at a brisk pace, Deterioration in fine motor skills (such as handwriting or buttoning a shirt), Intermittent shooting pains into the arms and legs (like an electrical shock), especially when bending their head forward (known as Lermitte’s phenomenon). Arm pain (radiculopathy) Often it is the arm pain that prompts someone with this condition to seek medical treatment, and then the myelopathy is discovered through medical history and physical exam. Cervical stenosis is usually suspected based on the patient’s history and physical examination. Your doctor may order X-rays of the neck. X-rays may show bone spurs or narrowing of the space between vertebral bodies, caused by collapse of the discs. A more specialized type of imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may also be obtained. The MRI will show the condition of the intervertebral discs, the ligaments, and the spinal cord and nerves. The MRI is the most common way to diagnose the presence of nerve compression. Other types of imaging studies such as CT scans and myeolograms may also be used in certain cases to help make the diagnosis.