The most prevalent cause of spinal stenosis is a degenerative condition of the spine, which mostly affects adults over the age of 50. The discomfort, numbness and tingling caused by spinal canal stenosis can be caused by decades of wear and tear on the spine, as well as a decrease of muscle tone due to age. Spinal stenosis mostly affects any part of the backbone, however it is more common in the lower part which is called the lumbar region. Fortunately, a special design of physical exercise or physical therapy is promoted to relieve the pain of spinal stenosis and possibly formulated to avoid degenerative changes to the spine. This exercise will provide openings and avoid the constriction process in the vertebrae or backbone and loosens the bone spurs, a herniated disc or other spinal stenosis condition.
Today, physical therapy is considered as the most important treatment for mild to moderate cases of spinal stenosis, and it has shown a beneficial advantage to alleviate the pain particularly in the lumbar region. Exercises for spinal stenosis can be done with supervision of a physical therapist clinic or in the comfort of your own home. In addition, the physical therapist will apply hot or cold packs to the affected area to lessen the pain. Except for a yoga mat, exercises for spinal stenosis require no special equipment. But nevertheless, your physician can prescribe over the counter medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs to alleviate the pain.
Generally, spinal stenosis is divided into two main types of workout, to mitigate the discomfort particularly in the abdomen and hips. These are the stretching type to increase flexibility and physical activities to build muscle strength. Stretching may be required at the start and finish of a workout session, or you may be required to stretch throughout complete sessions. Stretching may be required at the start and finish of a workout session, or you may be required to stretch throughout complete sessions. Yoga, which involves both stretching and strengthening motions, is an ideal alternative for treating spinal stenosis. Below are some of the few physical exercises and its procedure that a physical therapist will be required for their patient to do.
Lower Back Release
The patient would lie on their back, bend their knees and place their feet flat on the floor. Pull the navel toward the spine and flatten the lower back to the floor by contracting their abdominal muscles. Then the patient will hold for at least 5-10 seconds before releasing. While doing this workout, remember to breathe and repeat this for a total of 20 times.
Knee to Chest Movement
This kind of exercise will require a slow movement of breath out and slowly draw one knee to your chest while lying on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold for 10 seconds before lowering your foot to the floor and repeating with the opposite leg. After that, take a deep breath and gradually draw your knees toward your chest. If you can’t readily reach and hold your knee, you can loop a towel behind your thigh and elevate your leg with it.
Finally, to ameliorate your spinal stenosis symptoms with physical exercise, you don’t have to visit a gym regularly. By doing a slight physical exercise that is administered by a licensed physical therapist, the discomfort, tingling and numbness of lumbar stenosis can be relieved by spending just 15 minutes a day in the quietness of your own home.