Spinal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of your spinal bones that can place significant pressure on your spinal cord or associated nerves. This pressure can trigger a variety of symptoms, including pain, bladder and bowel difficulties, numbness, muscle weakness and paralysis. While individuals with spinal stenosis need to stay physically active, they should avoid jogging and other forms of high-impact exercise.
Spinal Stenosis Basics
Spinal stenosis most frequently occurs in your lower back or neck. Depending on your circumstances, you can develop narrowing at one location in your spine or at two or more locations. Several age-related changes in your body can trigger the onset of spinal stenosis, including degeneration of the discs that cushion your vertebrae, thickening in the ligaments that help hold your spine together and a form of arthritis called osteoarthritis. Additional potential causes include direct spinal injury, a birth defect called achondroplasia and both cancerous and benign spinal tumors. You can also develop spinal stenosis as a consequence of jogging or running.
Stenosis and Exercise
Spinal stenosis is a serious disorder, and you can't overcome its effects through will power. If you have stenosis, even simple activities such as walking or standing can significantly worsen your symptoms, and the more you push your body, the worse your symptoms can become. Still, individuals with spinal stenosis must keep active. Common recommended exercises for stenosis patients emphasize smooth motion, and include activities such as swimming, walking, bicycling, riding a stationary bike and exercising with an elliptical trainer. Jogging, which exposes your body to repetitive, relatively high-impact stress, is typically avoided.
Exercise After Surgery
In some cases, your doctor might recommend surgery to relieve the effects of spinal stenosis. If this is true for you, you will need to follow certain activity guidelines during post-surgical recovery. Here again, jogging must be avoided, along with gardening, heavy lifting, bending at your waist, stooping or twisting your back in any way. Immediately after surgery, your doctor will typically limit you to light activity, including brief walks and sitting. Even when you can walk for longer distances, your doctor might ask you to take multiple short walks rather than a single long walk.
Considerations
If you undergo surgery for spinal stenosis, your doctor will tell you when you can participate in specific types of physical activity. Do not start exercising without your doctor's advice and approval. Once you're approved for exercise, start slowly and build your efforts gradually over time. If your doctor chooses a nonsurgical approach to treat your stenosis, he might ask you to follow a guided program of physical therapy or participate in water-based exercise.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Spinal Stenosis; March 2010
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Ask An Orthopaedic Surgeon About Spinal Stenosis; David Wong, M.D.; August 2007
- California Pacific Medical Center: Spinal Stenosis; 2010
- American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine: Running and Jogging Injuries; 2008
