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Diagnosing Spinal Stenosis
Diagnosing spinal stenosis requires a combination of physical examination, lab tests and imaging studies. Your doctor will first carefully listen to your complaints and stress on the region where you feel the pain, numbness and muscle weakness. Afterwards, they will perform a physical examination.
Physical examination includes a general examination of your body and a specific neurological examination. In the neurological examination, they will examine each region of your body for sensation and movement, and they may use special instruments to assess your reflexes such as the hammer.
After that, your doctor may order some tests to confirm the diagnosis including:
- Nerve Conduction Studies: One of the first investigations ordered in nervous disorders are nerve conduction studies. Nerve conduction studies measure the electricity moving along nerve fibers and assess the site of the disease. They help in differentiating lesions affecting the nerve or the spinal cord.
- Somatosensory Evoked Potential (SSEP): It is a type of test that assesses the central nervous system (the brain and the spinal cord). It is useful in differentiating the condition from other diseases affecting the spinal cord.
1) Lab Investigations:
Lab investigations are less reliable in confirming the diagnosis, but they may be ordered to diagnose the original condition responsible for the spinal stenosis. They include:
- Calcium and Vitamin D Levels: Calcium related disorders are one of the causes of spinal stenosis, and they need to be excluded before making a definitive diagnosis.
- Parathyroid Levels: Parathyroid hormone is released from the parathyroid gland in the neck and is responsible for the regulation of calcium level in the blood and bones. In spinal stenosis, if bone disorders are suspected, parathyroid hormone levels are assessed.
- Growth Hormone Levels or Insulin-Like Growth Factor: Insulin- like growth factor is measured when there is suspected acromegaly. If the level is elevated, it can be the cause behind the spinal stenosis.
