Spinal stenosis.

Spinal stenosis can be generally described as the narrowing of the spinal canal causing compression of the spinal cord. This compression most often occurs in the lumbar portion of the spine and has a clinical presentation of pain and numbness in the low back, legs and buttocks after walking or extension of the lumbar spine. The symptoms associated with lumbar spinal stenosis are usually relieved with flexion of the lower back. In addition, compression at the cervical spine has occasionally been seen in combination with lumbar spinal stenosis, with thoracic spinal stenosis occurring only rarely. Therefore, because spinal stenosis is the most prevalent preoperative diagnosis for spine surgery and affects nearly 5 of every 1000 Americans older than 50 years old, it is imperative to understand the role of spinal stenosis in generating back and leg pain. In this article an overview of the etiology, treatment, and outcomes will be presented to give a better understanding of this condition.