Part 1 - What is Lumbar Spinal Stenosis? 

Dear Dr. YOU have been Such a HELP. I am a mess. Had r knee meniscus operation 2010 l hip replacement 2014 r hip replacement 2016 always doing workout to have strong muscles. Now this Spinal Stenosis is SO painful. Have to get my MD to know my Orthopedic to know my chiropractor to know my Spine Dr.( found my SS with MRI in 2010). Arthritis IS a challenge. YOU are a BLESSING explaining what is happening. 💝🎁💝👍🤸‍♂️

What is the best cure for the nerve pain from the hip to the thigh then front part of the leg. I had a painful spark in my lower back which is now causing leg pain. I'm tired of pain killers.

I started out about a year ago with very stiff lower back. This turned into hip pain which now runs through my hip into my leg (left) and often down the front of my shin into the top of my foot. Sitting too much causes an increase in the pain so I spend as much time standing as possible. MRI shows a myriad of issues but this pain through my hip and deep buttock to left leg can get unbearable. Leaning over slightly and reaching down causes increasing pain until I can’t straighten back up without stretching up to hold the top of a door then crossing bent left leg in front of front right leg then reversing that motion. Very painful on first movement but immediate relief after that. Same with putting my interlocked hands behind my head and physically lifting my spine up straight while tilting my pelvis up, very painful at the very start but instant pain relief after that. Chiropractor say my hip SI joints and hip joints are tight but trying to do stretching physical therapy excercises creates that leg and hip pain. I am 66 and have been thrown from horses landing on my tailbone a few times in my younger days

Same thing here!!

Yup might get started at 25 now I'm 28 haven't even hit 30 yet

Shopping cart thing so legit!! This was a awesome video.

Really not funny, at 72 I find it depressing. In my twenties I'd have been suicidal. Good luck.

@@dougyoung221 I have been suicidal over the journey, but I have a loving partner and animals who are helping me through it.

I’ve had two surgeries, they definitely did help. Good luck to you.

You can always make a zoom appointment with me by calling California orthopedics and spine

I've had everything you can think of done to my back. Fusion, rods , cages

And the Dr. at USC SAID NO MORE SURGERY!!! The percentage goes way down to almost nothing. I'm just suppose to live like this for the rest of my life. I hope you get cured from all your pain cause I know what the number 10 on a pain scale is. God Bless you.

Laminectomy, spinal stenosis, injections, nerves burned, gone through all this 4 times, Now my back is so tightly close I can't get a pain pump.i had one of those for 12 years in which case it had to come out for my last surgery and now they are saying they can't replace it?

When people have lumbar stenosis they typically like to be in a flex posture. There are quite a few non-surgical and surgical treatments on my videos. As a disclaimer please consult your spine surgeon

Please watch the video on non-surgical and surgical treatment of lumbar stenosis

It sounds like you may be a good candidate for surgical decompression if non-operative methods fail. As a disclaimer you should always consult your spine surgeon

@@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy yep, I actually saw one last Friday 8/6/2021 they said something about a fusion ? So what would be the difference between a fusion and decompression ?

Those are coming.

I accept international patients we have a cash fee schedule for that. Please call California orthopedics and spine.

Groin pain can sometimes be referred from the disc itself. You can always have a diagnostic injection into the hip to rule out the hip as a cause of the pain. As a disclaimer you should always discuss this with your surgeon.

I want to discuss about my mothers spinal stenosis can you give me appointment Dr?

It is gas within the disk space. Usually not painful but can be an indicator of abnormal motion across the disc space or degenerative disc disease

You want to go with somebody who is fellowship-trained in spine surgery. That could be an orthopedic or a neurosurgeon.

You poor sweet woman. I have no solutions as I’m in the same position. I’ve been in excruciating chronic pain for over 10 years now. The only time I’m out of pain is when I’m asleep. I often wake up because of the pain. I know exactly how you feel. Chronic pain changes a person. Their mood, confidence, outlook, personality and my only suggestion is to seek some type of emotional help and support, do you have a family member or friend that can help you through the maze to find medical care, therapy and help with any social services in your area? It’s daunting I know, but if you had help to start a navigation it might remove some of the stress and feelings of being overwhelmed. You must remain hopeful, no matter how hard a day has been. Keep seeking ideas and therapies, especially the cheap and free ones. I found a video that talked of natural path remedie to decrease and dissolve stenosis bone Spurs. It’s cheap and accessible from Amazon. The same remedy was suggested by my own naturopath. It also apparently works on horses bone Spurs so I’m hopeful. Simple mineral supple to, nothing crazy. It can take 3-6 months to see any results but many reviews from different sources have had hopeful results. Start investigating HYLAND’S CALC FLUOR #1 6X and HEKLA LAVA 30ch….they are simple minerals so cheap and very safe but showing stellar results for spinal stenosis in particular. ……when u have been going through pain for so long like you and me, you’re willing to try almost anything to restore hope. I’m wishing you the very best of hope and freedom, you deserve it!

Yes you can treat epidural lipomatosis with an epidural to take inflammation off of the nerve. As a disclaimer please consult your doctor

I do not recommend it as a standalone device. It is not meant to hold on its own it is meant to be used along with a cage. There's not enough data now to show it success without the addition of a cage for biomechanical stability.

It doesn't always have to go away with rest and sitting

Watch the isthmic spondylolisthesis series

Cervical spine stenosis can cause tingling in the feet. As a disclaimer please consult your spine surgeon.

You can call California orthopedics and spine for a virtual appointment with me

Yes compression of The l4 and l5 nerves can cause weakness today as well you should see a surgeon

@@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy Thank you! The VA moves a bit slow- I fell two years ago because I couldn't move my left leg(broke my ankle in three places) and I told them it was because I couldn't move it like there was no signal to it. They just now are sending me through physical therapy for it. I think they are waiting to see if the weakness gets better or worse with PT even though I've told them that it is more than just the leg and includes the feeling like I could fall/ collapse from the hips/waist.

@Dr. Brian Su - The Spine Guy So the VA finally did an MRI. Severe disc bulge at L2-l3 causing Redundant nerve root syndrome. I wish I could post a pic, it's crazy looking. An EMG shows L5-S1 nerve damage that is starting to heal. Are there specific surgical recommendations for Redundant nerve root syndrome or is it to treat the stenosis. How often do the nerve roots return to the normal position? Thank you!

An epidural injection is where the medication goes. Into the epidural space. The medication itself is steroid which is the same as cortisone. In that sense there is no real difference between an epidural steroid injection and cortisone.

I would have to look at the imaging you can make an appointment with me virtually at California orthopedics and spine

@@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy thank you doctor. I will check and see if my insurance will cover a virtual meeting with you. Meanwhile what does the term "central canal and neural foramina are patent" mean?

It can take up to a year to get full relief as the nerve heals

No

You should make an appointment with me if you are local. If not you should reach out to your spine surgeon. As a disclaimer this should not be considered medical advice

Multiple epidurals have been shown to cause osteoporosis in the surrounding bone.

That is a sign of lumbar stenosis. It's called neurogenic claudication. As a disclaimer you should contact your spine surgeon.

Yes. Possibly

Yes it does.

I do virtual appointments through my office at California orthopedics and spine.

You may want to consult an anesthesia pain medicine physician.

Yes you can.

Love your very understandable vids,I wish I was closer to your clinic i am sure you would be able to help with my Spinal Stenosis...I am in Ontario Canada 🇨🇦

Sometimes that can be the case I would have to look at the imaging

@@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy Thank you Sir. I have bilateral severe foramina narrowing at L5-S1 with moderate spinal stenosis by CT. I also have superior facet spurring. My doctor wants to do a bilateral Hemilminectomy with Facetectomy. I want to make sure that will not lead to spine instability afterwards as my goal is to start golfing again in May 2023. Thoughts?

What's the non-operative treatment of lumbar stenosis

The upper lumbar nerves l1 to L3 can often manifest as pain in the hips. You would have to be examined to discern that. Often doing a diagnostic injection into the hip joint or over the upper lumbar nerves will help with the diagnosis. As disclaimer, this is not considered medical advice and you should always seek the advice of your spine surgeon

@@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy Appreciate your reply Dr Su and your channel is excellent. I’m having an MRI done for a lumbar issue and I’m hoping to get some clarity. Keep up the great work !

I would have to look at the imaging. Please make a virtual appointment at California orthopedics and spine

I do have sciatic pain shooting down my legs and my right leg I notice I can't even fold it in half cuz it hurts so bad shooting pain in there never hurt like that before .I do have arthritis as well comes with age.😰 I just have to wait to go get my MRI and then see a surgeon and see what the Dr. say from there .😢 I'm hoping for the best and 🙏🙏. I hope they fix whatever is going on. I like how you trim the bones and widen up the space from L1 l5 on your videos. Hopefully the Dr. Can come up with a solution to help me from all this pain I've been suffering, cuz it's very painful hurts so much . I do walk three times a day because of the pain but I push myself because I have to walk my dog and myself for a little exercise ,but at night time I'm stretching my legs and hitting my legs holding my lower back cuz it hurts so much. I just cry and say please stop and I get up and walk up & down the hallway during the night, I do chores like vacuuming ,washing clothes before I have to sit or lay down because of the pain it sucks my life sucks right now I hate it... But thanks for hearing me out and 😢 for Help and maybe a input will be greatly appreciated by me ...Thank You for your videos. Thank you! Dr. Su

It sounds like you need to talk to a spine surgeon.

@@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy Yes after my MRI I am going to talk orthopedic surgeon about what Dr. going to do. Thank you 😊

You can call California orthopedics and spine for a second opinion with me

@@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy any specific phone no. Or email may be..

Depending on what the MRI shows you should be able to get better with treatment.