Personal stories about having surgery for spinal stenosis

These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions.

Ed, age 62: The pain and numbness in my legs got to the point where I could hardly walk. After my MRI showed I had spinal stenosis, my doctor said that the final decision for treatment was up to me-I should consider how bad the pain is and whether I can do my normal daily activities. Since I could hardly do my simple everyday routines without pain, I figured that it was time for surgery.

Tom, age 52: I have been working with a physical therapist for several months now to relieve my leg pain that is caused by spinal stenosis. My doctor says surgery may be an option if my leg pain gets worse, but I want to wait and see if other steps help relieve the pain first. The physical therapy seems to be working, so I will stick with it for now.

Clare, age 70: I noticed the numbness and pain in my legs for a while. It came on gradually, and I could manage it with pain relievers. Over time, though, the symptoms got worse and worse. Eventually, the pain got so bad that walking was quite uncomfortable. Since I don't have any other major health problems, I decided to have surgery so I wouldn't have to deal with the leg pain and could start walking again!

Susan, age 64: The pain, numbness, and tingling in my legs started about 5 years ago. Luckily, I did not feel pain all of the time when walking. When I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, my doctor said that there were several things I could do to keep my pain at a minimum, such as using pain relievers, exercising, and keeping my weight down. That's what I'm doing, and now I hardly ever get leg pain and am relieved that I avoided surgery.