Skip to content 
2) Surgical Treatment
The definitive treatment of spinal stenosis is surgery. In general, the type of surgery used in patients with spinal stenosis aim to correct the anatomical abnormality present and is therefore known as decompressive surgery. Surgery is absolutely indicated in the following cases:
- Severe symptoms that include neurological complications: It is important to understand here that surgery does not necessarily reverse any damage done to the nerves or the spinal cord, but rather prevents its further progression, and is therefore best done as soon as possible.
- Severe pain that does not respond to medical treatment: Pain is a significant morbidity that can turn a patient’s life from a normal one to an agonizing daily experience. In practice, patients who need regular opioids to control the pain are those who need surgery as opioids cannot be used for the long term.
- Patients who develop urinary or fecal incontinence: Incontinence in the setting of spinal stenosis is a warning sign that a severe compression of the nerves occurred. This is known collectively as cauda equina syndrome, which is Latin for the syndrome of the horsetail in reference to the appearance of nerves at the distal part of the spinal cord.
Following your surgery and after a period of recovery, your doctor may need to run another physical examination to check if neurological problems are still present. This examination is not final and can be used to monitor and follow-up on your recovery period.
