• UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine
UCLA Spine Center

UCLA Spine Center

UCLA Spine Center
  • About Us
    • Why Choose the UCLA Spine Center
    • Overview
    • In The News
    • Webinars
    • Make a Gift
  • Conditions
    • Adult Scoliosis
    • Adult Tethered Cord
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis
    • Basilar Invagination
    • Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease
    • Cervical Disc Herniation
    • Cervical Fracture
    • Cervical Stenosis / Cervical Myelopathy
    • Chiari Malformation
    • Facet Joint Arthritis
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Idiopathic Scoliosis
    • Lumbar Disc Herniation
    • Lumbar Stenosis
    • Neuromuscular Scoliosis
    • Osteoarthritis of the Peripheral Joint
    • Osteoarthritis of the Spine
    • Osteomyelitis
    • Osteoporosis / Vertebral Fractures
    • Platybasia
    • Radiculopathy (Cervical and Lumbar)
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • Sacroiliac Joint Disease
    • Spinal Compression Fractures
    • Spinal Cord Injury
    • Spinal Cord Tumors
    • Syringomyelia
    • Thoracic Disc Degeneration
    • Thoracic Spine Fracture
    • Trochanteric Bursitis
    • Adult Scoliosis
    • Adult Tethered Cord
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis
    • Basilar Invagination
    • Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease
    • Cervical Disc Herniation
    • Cervical Fracture
    • Cervical Stenosis / Cervical Myelopathy
    • Chiari Malformation
    • Facet Joint Arthritis
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Idiopathic Scoliosis
    • Lumbar Disc Herniation
    • Lumbar Stenosis
    • Neuromuscular Scoliosis
    • Osteoarthritis of the Peripheral Joint
    • Osteoarthritis of the Spine
    • Osteomyelitis
    • Osteoporosis / Vertebral Fractures
    • Platybasia
    • Radiculopathy (Cervical and Lumbar)
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • Sacroiliac Joint Disease
    • Spinal Compression Fractures
    • Spinal Cord Injury
    • Spinal Cord Tumors
    • Syringomyelia
    • Thoracic Disc Degeneration
    • Thoracic Spine Fracture
    • Trochanteric Bursitis
  • Treatments & Programs
    • Nonsurgical Treatment
    • Surgical Treatment
  • For Patients
    • Appointments
    • New Patient Questionnaires
    • Choosing a Multidisciplinary Pain Program
    • Patient Education Videos
    • Understanding Neck and Back Pain
    • Specialists Who Treat Back Pain
    • Physiatrists
    • Ergonomics for Prolonged Sitting
    • Fitness
    • Planning Your Spine Surgery
    • Preparing for Surgery
    • Patient Stories
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Health Plans
    • Helpful Resources
  • Contact Us
    • Map and Directions
  • Fellowship Programs
    • UCLA—WLA VA Pain Medicine Fellowship
    • Neurosurgery Spine Fellowship
    • Orthopaedic Spine Surgery Fellowship
    • UCLA Spine Center PMR Spine Medicine Fellowship
  • For Healthcare Professionals
    • Physician Directory
    • New Patient Questionnaires
  • Physician Directory
    • Specialists Who Treat Back Pain
    • Physiatrists
  • UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine

UCLA Spine Center

Conditions

Conditions

Conditions

  • Adult Scoliosis
  • Adult Tethered Cord
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis
  • Basilar Invagination
  • Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease
  • Cervical Disc Herniation
  • Cervical Fracture
  • Cervical Stenosis / Cervical Myelopathy
  • Chiari Malformation
  • Facet Joint Arthritis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Idiopathic Scoliosis
  • Lumbar Disc Herniation
  • Lumbar Stenosis
  • Neuromuscular Scoliosis
  • Osteoarthritis of the Peripheral Joint
  • Osteoarthritis of the Spine
  • Osteomyelitis
  • Osteoporosis / Vertebral Fractures
  • Platybasia
  • Radiculopathy (Cervical and Lumbar)
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Sacroiliac Joint Disease
  • Spinal Compression Fractures
  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Spinal Cord Tumors
  • Syringomyelia
  • Thoracic Disc Degeneration
  • Thoracic Spine Fracture
  • Trochanteric Bursitis
  • Adult Scoliosis
  • Adult Tethered Cord
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis
  • Basilar Invagination
  • Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease
  • Cervical Disc Herniation
  • Cervical Fracture
  • Cervical Stenosis / Cervical Myelopathy
  • Chiari Malformation
  • Facet Joint Arthritis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Idiopathic Scoliosis
  • Lumbar Disc Herniation
  • Lumbar Stenosis
  • Neuromuscular Scoliosis
  • Osteoarthritis of the Peripheral Joint
  • Osteoarthritis of the Spine
  • Osteomyelitis
  • Osteoporosis / Vertebral Fractures
  • Platybasia
  • Radiculopathy (Cervical and Lumbar)
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Sacroiliac Joint Disease
  • Spinal Compression Fractures
  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Spinal Cord Tumors
  • Syringomyelia
  • Thoracic Disc Degeneration
  • Thoracic Spine Fracture
  • Trochanteric Bursitis
  1. Home
  2. Conditions
  3. Lumbar Stenosis

Lumbar Stenosis

Share this

What You Should Know About Lumbar Stenosis

Stenosis is usually a degenerative process in which the spinal canal narrows, causing compression of the spinal cord and nerve roots.

Lumbar stenosis results from the gradual wear and tear on the spine associated with aging. A normal process, the spinal canal is widely patent in our youth, but gradually becomes narrower as the surrounding bone, ligaments, and discs become thicker and encroach on the spinal nerves.

Symptoms

Unlike a lumbar disc herniation which can present acutely, lumbar stenosis is a slowly evolving degenerative phenomenon that takes many years to occur. As such, the onset of symptoms can be quite insidious, and not detected until the stenosis is fairly severe.The classic symptoms are leg pain that is worsened with standing and walking, and improved with sitting and/or lying down. Frequently patients will notice that while standing, their symptoms are lessened by leaning over a shopping cart or bending forward. This maneuver serves to further open the spinal canal and at least partially relieve the stenosis. 

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of lumbar stenosis is confirmed using standard lumbar MRI and or CT/myelography.

Treatment

Diagnosis: Plain x-rays of the cervical spine reveal osteophytes at the involved level, loss of disc height, and often a narrow spinal canal.

The initial treatment of lumbar stenosis can be nonoperative or operative, depending on severity of symptoms and patient and physician preference.  Due to the chronic nature of disease, and degree of narrowing, nonoperative treatment tends to not be as successful as it is for lumbar disc herniation. Operative management commonly consists of removal of the offending bone, ligament and soft tissue that are causing the spinal canal narrowing, called a laminectomy.  In cases where concerns of postoperative spinal instability may occur, such as spondylolisthesis, a simultaneous fusion may be recommended. Other surgical techniques include the placement of spinal spacers which open the spinal canal without the need for a laminectomy.

Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest
UCLA Health hospitals ranked best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report
  • UCLA Health
  • School of Medicine
  • School of Nursing
  • UCLA Campus
  • Directory
  • Newsroom
  • Publications
  • Giving
  • Careers
  • Volunteer
  • Privacy Practices
  • Nondiscrimination
  • Emergency
  • Smoke-Free
  • Terms of Use
  • 1-310-825-2631
  • Maps & Directions
  • Contact Us
  • Report Broken Links
  • Sitemap
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest

Sign in to myUCLAhealth