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Medical Author:

Jason C. Eck, DO, MS

Jason C. Eck, DO, MS

Dr. Eck received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Catholic University of America in Biomedical Engineering, followed by a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University. Following this he worked as a research engineer

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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In most cases the prognosis for spinal stenosis is very good. Many people can obtain good relief of their symptoms with nonsurgical treatment. In some case, as the stenosis becomes more severe, the nonsurgical treatment become less effective. For those patients, surgery is a good option to consider.

Most patients obtain good relief of the symptoms in their arms and legs soon after the surgery relieves the compression of the nerves. The exception is in more severe cases where there was prolonged compression of the nerves that caused permanent nerve damage.

As in other parts of the body, arthritis of the spine can be progressive even after surgery. It is possible to develop new symptoms years after surgery either at the same level or at nearby levels.

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