What are the Causes of Spinal Stenosis?
If you suffer from spinal (back/neck) pain due to spinal stenosis, understanding the cause of your stenosis is crucial to directing treatment for your back or neck pain. There are many different causes of spinal stenosis. Let's discuss more about the different causes of spinal stenosis in this blog. 
 
There are two types of spinal stenosis - Central Canal Stenosis which is present in the spinal canal, through which your spinal cord is passing and Foraminal Stenosis, that occurs at the sides of the spine at the level of the facet joints. Watch this video for more details on these two types of stenosis:
 

With this understanding of spinal stenosis lets discuss different causes of spinal stenosis. One of the most common cause of spinal stenosis is osteophytes or bony spurs that occur due to spinal arthritis (spinal OA). These little bony fragments are the characteristic extra bone growth of arthritis that can cause narrowing in the spine, either centrally at the spinal cord or at the foramen on the sides of the spine. 
 
Another common reason is degenerative disc disease, which refers to wear and tear or degeneration in the spine that occurs naturally with age. It may be it may vary from person to person. Here the disc gets dry and shrinks from its usual size, making the vertebras come closer which can lead to stenosis and thus irritation or compression of either the spinal cord or the nerves. The same happens when you have a herniated or bulging disc. The disc can protrude backwards into the spinal canal or sideways on the facet joint, leading to central or foraminal stenosis. This can also further lead to compression or irritation of the nerves in the area leading to nerve pain.  
 
Spinal fracture bony fragment can get displaced in to the spinal canal giving rise to a central spinal stenosis. Same is true for foraminal stenosis if the bony fragments are impinging on the facet joint. There can be associated swelling in case of a spinal injury or fracture which can lead to nerve pain. In the cervical spine this will be seen as nerve pain anywhere from the shoulders down to your fingertips. In the lumbar spine nerve pain can be experienced from your buttocks or your bottom down to the tips of your toes. An example of this is sciatica when the sciatic nerve gets irritated due to spinal stenosis. 
 
Facet joints arthropathy or arthritis can also lead to stenosis or narrowing of the facet joints, leading to foraminal stenosis. This can further impinge on the nerves passing through these facet joints and produce symptoms in the corresponding area. 
 
You can find out more about the symptoms of spinal (central and foraminal) stenosis HERE
 
If you want to learn more about easy ways to manage your back and spinal stenosis pain join my free community where we have done trainings on "Simple Solutions to Manage Your Back Pain"

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MEET SWATI

 
Hi there! 
I am Swati, an Executive Mum Power Coach and a Certified Posture Expert. I use my proven system to help mums of younger kids working in high-stress executive jobs manage their back, neck, and nerve pains, despite low energy levels and brain fog. I do all this without taking away a big chunk of their time out of their already busy day. This enables them to be more productive and capable professionals at work and guilt-free mums who can focus on their kids instead of always being distracted by pain. 



My passion for helping executive mums stems from my own experiences. I have been in the same boat and understand the frustration and helplessness of being in constant pain or being afraid to engage in activities due to the fear of pain. After two pregnancies in the span of three years and juggling my two kids, housework, and a demanding job, I was constantly in pain. The weight gain from motherhood added extra stress to my already overburdened spine and joints. I was stuck in a vicious cycle of weight loss and spinal/nerve pain that I just couldn’t break free from.

On top of the physical pain, I also suffered from adrenal fatigue. I often felt exhausted, waking up groggy even after a full night’s (10 to 12 plus hours!) sleep, and struggled with low energy levels and brain fog. Simple tasks became challenging, and I found myself forgetting things and unable to think clearly. It was incredibly frustrating and made it even harder to balance my professional responsibilities and family life.

My work involved long hours of standing during the day, prolonged hours on the laptop in the evening, and lots of running around and rocking my kids to sleep in between. Despite my knowledge and expertise in pain relief, I still found myself unable to escape the constant daily pain and fatigue.

Sitting at a desk job from 9 to 5, or longer, plus endless meetings that seem to go on forever. The frequent traveling, the uncomfortable hotel pillows that make it impossible to get a good night’s sleep—I’ve experienced it all. I remember not being able to share my discomfort at work because I felt like an imposter, talking about pain relief strategies and focusing on work while I was not able to achieve it myself. I didn’t disclose the extent of my pain and forgetfulness to my colleagues for years. Even though I loved my kids and my job, I couldn’t give 100% to either. The discomfort held me back from reaching my full potential, making me feel guilty as a mum and less productive at work. I felt like I was constantly running on empty, unable to catch a break from the pain and exhaustion.

finally got fed up after years of trying and decided to make a New Year’s resolution to get ‘healthy’ instead of focusing solely on my pain, fatigue, forgetfulness, and weight loss. When I shifted my focus to getting healthier by reducing the inflammation in my body and addressing my adrenal fatigue, the pain started to decrease, my energy levels and focus improved, and the pounds started shedding off too! That, of course, meant a happier spine, nerves, joints, and a happier me! Today, my neck, back, and nerve pain are down to zero, my knee pain has reduced by 75%, my brain fog has reduced drastically and my energy levels are higher than ever. I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong solutions for over a decade!

Now, my mission is to share my knowledge of pain relief and managing adrenal fatigue along with my personal experience with other mums, especially those with younger kids who work in high-stress executive jobs. My goal is to help you find lasting relief, boost your energy, and reclaim your life, just as I did. 

If you can relate to all this, you are not alone. As a mum, I have been there and done that—momma, I got you! I’ve helped hundreds of mums in this situation over the years find their solution to manage spinal and joint pains, low energy levels, and brain fog that hold them back. This enables them to feel confidently in control and empowers them to cultivate that confidence and productivity at work and enjoy being with their kids, to be able to run around with them without the fear of injury or pain.

Are you ready for this journey? Ask me how if you are curious.

Let's DO THIS!
xx Swati
** Executive Mum Power Coach **

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