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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
Many different types of problems can reduce the amount of space within the spinal canal. The most common of these problems are related to degeneration and the aging process. Other causes range from birth defects to benign or cancerous tumors.
Aging-related causes
- Osteoarthritis. With time, the facet joints between adjacent vertebrae in your spine deteriorate. In an attempt to repair the damage, your body may produce bony growths called bone spurs. These bone spurs can narrow the spinal passages.
- Disk degeneration. As you age, the cushions between your vertebrae flatten and bulge. Eventually, the tough, fibrous outer covering of the disk may develop tiny tears, causing the jelly-like substance in the disk's center to protrude and press on your spinal cord and nerve roots.
- Thickened ligaments. The tough cords that help hold the bones of your spine together can become stiff and thick over time. The thickening along with bulging into the spinal canal can also narrow the spinal canal and compress nervous tissue.
Other causes of spinal stenosis
- Paget's disease of the bone. In Paget's disease, your body generates new bone at a faster than normal rate. This produces soft, weak bones that are prone to fractures. It can also create bones that are deformed or abnormally large. If this occurs in the spine, it can reduce the amount of space available in the spinal canal.
- Achondroplasia. This genetic disorder slows the rate at which bone forms during fetal development and in early childhood, resulting in dwarfism. People who have this condition are born with narrow spinal canals.
- Spinal tumors. Abnormal growths can form inside the spinal cord, within the membranes that cover the spinal cord or in the space between the spinal cord and vertebrae. Enlarging tumors may compress the spinal cord and nerve roots.
- Spinal injuries. Car accidents and other major trauma can cause dislocations or fractures of one or more vertebrae. Displaced bone from a spinal fracture may damage the contents of the spinal canal. Swelling of adjacent tissue immediately following back surgery also can put pressure on the spinal cord or nerves.
References
- Questions and answers about spinal stenosis. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Spinal_Stenosis/default.asp. Accessed Dec. 21, 2009.
- Curlee PM. Spinal stenosis. In: Canale ST, et al. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/176085454-4/931784364/1584/313.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-03329-9..50044-1--cesec14_2092. Accessed Dec. 21, 2009.
- Meleger AL. Cervical stenosis. In: Frontera WR, et al. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/177277239-7/935792099/1678/9.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4007-1..50008-0--cesec8_89. Accessed Jan. 5, 2010.
- Bartleson JD (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 31, 2010.
- Isaac Z, et al. Lumbar spinal stenosis. In: Frontera WR, et al. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/177277239-4/935690969/1678/49.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4007-1..50048-1_751. Accessed Jan. 5, 2010.
- Spinal stenosis. American College of Rheumatology. http://www.rheumatology.org/public/factsheets/diseases_and_conditions/stenosis.asp. Accessed Dec. 22, 2009.
- Cauda equina syndrome. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00362. Accessed Jan. 5, 2010.
- Levin K. Lumbar spinal stenosis: Treatment and prognosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 3, 2010.
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