Foraminal stenosis
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By Dr. John Raymond Baker in General Published: Thursday, 21 June 07 - 06:35 AM (GMT) Last Updated: Thursday, 21 June 07 - 06:43 AM (GMT) |
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Occasionally, one might hear the term
"foraminal stenosis". Basically, the nerves
exit or branch off the spinal cord, and pass
through the space between the vertebrae, a space
that is called the "intervertebral foramina" or
the "holes between the vertebrae, or spinal bones".
The space, in a normal healthy spine, especially
in the thoracic or lumbar spine, is shaped like a bean
or an ear. When the relationship of one vertebrae to
the one below or above it is altered, or if there are
spurs or osteophytes that form near the foramen,
or if there are disc displacements such as protrusions
or herniations, this disc, jutting into that space, can
also decrease the space for the nerve, and this situation, i.e., the decrease of space for the nerve in the foramina, is called "foraminal stenosis".
This situation can result in an increase in the partial pressures in the foraminal space, and cause a virtual "pinched nerve", which more often is not an actual pinch, such as you might pinch a piece of cloth with your thumb and index finger, but is instead, an increase in pressure on the nerve root, which can, and
often does, alter nerve function for the worse.
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