Finding a natural treatment for spinal stenosis is a tremendous challenge, since most nonsurgical methods of care are ineffective in resolving the causative issues that source the pain. Remember, stenosis denotes a condition wherein the interior of the spinal canal becomes narrowed and without surgery, virtually no therapy has any chance of undoing these structural changes.
However, all is not so grim. In fact, a great number of people who are affected by mild, moderate and even severe stenosis of the central vertebral canal do not require surgery at all. In some cases, symptomatic care can be provided to allow the patient to function well, without undergoing invasive treatment. In other cases, the stenosis is completely asymptomatic, although it may have been unfairly and inaccurately misidentified as the cause of pain by one or more doctors.
This vital essay examines the all-natural treatment of central spinal stenosis. We will look at the common therapies and products offered in the natural sector, as well as provide coverage on the circumstances when these treatments are most useful for diagnosed patients.
Symptomatic Natural Treatment for Spinal Stenosis
Many patients with verified symptomatic stenosis problems do not require surgery. Some patients can manage just fine using symptomatic modalities of care, as long as they do not suffer major neurological deficits or dysfunction. The patient must be clear that symptom-based care techniques will never provide a cure, nor are the treatments likely to slow or stop the progression of the stenosis. Some of these patients who choose symptomatic care may eventually be forced to acquiescence to surgical intervention at some future time. Some of the most common all-natural symptomatic stenosis therapies include:
Reiki can minimize pain thorough mindbody interactions.
Chiropractic is one of the most common natural treatments for back and neck pain. In rare instances, chiropractic can actually improve the patency of the central canal, depending on the underlying origin of stenotic narrowing.
Massage is always a soothing and effective treatment for pain and paresthesia.
Acupuncture is proven to work on blocking pain signals virtually anywhere in the body.
Hypnotherapy has been shown to effectively reduce pain scores and even increase the degree of physical functionality in some fortunate patients.
Coaching provides support services that allow patients to better manage pain, improve physical function and take more control of their lives, despite stenosis.
Heat and ice are simple and free methods of treatment that are surprisingly effectual for some patients.
Exercise can help to maintain or enhance functionality, as well as mitigating pain in some cases. Physical therapy is usually the preferred type of exercise treatment for stenosis sufferers.
Natural Spinal Stenosis Care Products
There are many products that are sold as unregulated “health and beauty aids” that make truly crazy claims about providing actual cures for back or neck pain due to all manner of diagnoses, including spinal stenosis. Some of these stenosis treatment products are herbal in nature, while others are nutritional supplements of one variety or another. They might be all-natural, but that is where the positive attributes of these products end. Let’s make this completely clear: None of these products will work to cure spinal stenosis. If they do work at all, it is because of pure temporary placebo or because of misdiagnosis (probably also combined with placebo).
It is obvious that in the decades we have been providing research, education and advocacy efforts on behalf of suffering patients worldwide, there has been a growing number of these scam products reaching the marketplace. These “miracle cures” are usually sold on disreputable websites for exorbitant amounts of money. Many even come in subscription form, forcing the purchaser to buy large quantities of the useless garbage to further add financial insult to injury.
Patients are strongly cautioned to stay clear of products that seem too good to be true, since they are just that…
Of course, there are many wonderful symptomatic-care products that make no claims towards cures, but merely report that they might reduce pain. These are fine and are actually great home treatment options for stenosis patients, especially when they are topical in nature and not consumed orally. We have used and enjoyed a wide range of balms, creams, salves, lotions, liniments and gels for pain relief and recommend these be tried by patients as alternatives to oral drug therapies.
Natural Treatment for Spinal Stenosis Misdiagnosis
We have heard some interesting stories about treatments that supposedly cured stenosis (to these patients, this means relieved the pain permanently) through methods that seemed illogical to consider. In these cases, the most reasonable explanation is certainly misdiagnosis of the stenosis as the true cause of pain.
It is crucial to remember that most mild to moderate stenosis does not cause pain and that many patients who demonstrate pain and stenosis concurrently are misdiagnosed when the canal narrowing is blamed as the causation of discomfort. In essence, the stenosis is incidental to the symptoms; not the cause.
This is exactly the same problem facing patients with virtually all types of spinal abnormalities, ranging from herniated discs to arthritis to scoliosis. Most of these spinal issues are not symptomatic, but pain exists from some other systemic, disease-related, muscular or mindbody causation and is mistakenly attributed to the structural irregularity through inaccurate diagnostic evaluation.
When pain is not actually structurally-motivated, treatments of all types have a chance to resolve it. We see this often using one of our favorite alternative treatment choices, knowledge therapy. This alternative medicine for spinal stenosis will do nothing at all to change the anatomy of the spine, yet it is almost impossibility effective for stopping pain that is caused by the psychogenic process underlying many chronic back and neck syndromes.
We see similar “cures” from virtually all manner of care practices, even when follow-up imaging studies demonstrate worsened structural stenosis post-treatment. Of course, when such pain is relieved, it is once again extremely obvious that the stenosis was never the cause of discomfort from the get-go.
Spinal Stenosis > Spinal Stenosis Treatment > Natural Treatment for Spinal Stenosis
