How does spinal stenosis develop?
The vertebrae are held together by multiple ligaments. Once these ligaments are weakened by injury or the natural aging process, additional pressure is put on the discs, and to help stabilize the area, muscles spasms result. And once the muscle spasms can no longer hold the vertebrae in place, osteophytes or bone spurs result. This overgrowth of bone is the body’s attempt to stabilize the vertebral segment, and leads to a narrowing of the spaces in the spine and pressure on the nerves. The narrowing of the canal may also be inherited or acquired. Some people inherit a small spinal canal or have a curvature of the spine, or scoliosis, which produces pressure on nerves and soft tissue and compresses or stretches ligaments. In the inherited condition called achondroplasia, defective bone formation results in abnormally short and thickened pedicles that reduce the diameter of the spinal canal. Acquired conditions that can cause spinal stenosis include osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthriti
