spinal stenois

[mike709]

Could spinal stenosis be caused by chiari. I got the results for my spine mri and it says small central disk herniation with moderate to moderate bilateral foranimal stenosis at L5-S1 mild central spinal canal stenosis with mild to moderate bilateral foranimal stenosis of L4-5 mild to moderate bilateral foranimal stenosis at L 3-4.Does anyone know what this means. There was alot of other stuff on my rteport but it was too much to list.

[ChiariWolf]

Mike-

Not a lot documented. And I am not a Dr. So this is a suggestion from someone with severe lumbar stenosis, only mild cervical and CM.

Research Chiari and  spina bifida, we did after a NS and his PA suggested it. It is interesting yet no other NS or NL concurs just yet.

CW

[Viva001]

If I recall, the skull starts forming ~7wk; something goes wrong, and it's not formed correctly.  That may be all of it, but about 40% of the time, the cervical spine is deformed too.
I don't know how common lumbar stenosis is.  It sounds like the opening of the bones on the sides of your spine (also called foramen) are compressing the nerve roots (as opposed to the spinal cord).

Even when the report says "mild to moderate", that may not be the patient's experience at all!

[selmaS]

  We all may have a form of stinosis, I have cervical spinal stinosis.....

Chiari can not cause it, but what caused us to have Chiari may have, .....

  While some people are born with a small spinal canal, most spinal stenosis occurs when something happens to reduce the amount of space available within the spine. Causes of spinal stenosis may include:

Overgrowth of bone. Wear and tear on your spinal bones can prompt the formation of bone spurs, which can grow into the spinal canal. Paget's disease, a bone disease that usually affects adults, also can cause bone overgrowth in the spine.

Herniated disks. The soft cushions that act as shock absorbers between your vertebrae tend to dry out with age. Cracks in a disk's exterior may allow some of the soft inner material to escape and press on the spinal cord or nerves.

Thickened ligaments. The tough cords that help hold the bones of your spine together can become stiff and thick over time. These thicker ligaments can bulge into the spinal canal.

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.

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.

{http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/spinal-stenosis/DS00515/DSECTION=causes}