Important Facts

Spinal stenosis is a common cause of back and neck pain. This condition is characterized by a narrowing of the normal space that extends the length of the spine. Any narrowing can cause nerve compression and, ultimately, pain and dysfunction. If you have spinal stenosis, the more you know about it, the better equipped you’ll be to discuss your diagnosis and treatment options with your doctor and other providers involved in your care. Learn more about lumbar (low back) and cervical (neck) stenosis and how advances in spinal stenosis surgery have improved spinal stenosis treatment outcomes.

Spinal stenosis is a progressive condition, like arthritis. Without treatment, the spinal canal will continue to narrow over time and symptoms may become more severe. However, many people have narrowing of the spine and do not experience symptoms. Medical and surgical treatment can decrease the symptoms of spinal stenosis and improve function. According to the American College of Rheumatology, regular exercise, medication and surgery can provide relief. Your doctor can help you understand the severity of your spinal stenosis, as well as available treatment options and what to expect with each.

Vertiflex Treatment

The Vertiflex Superion® interspinous spacer is a FDA-approved system designed to relieve back pain by restoring the normal space between the vertebrae. Because it is a minimally-invasive procedure, the Vertiflex procedure is a solution for back pain patients for whom medications or injections have failed.

It provides patients with a clinically proven, minimally invasive solution that is designed to deliver long-term relief from the leg and back pain associated with LSS. This level-one evidence-based procedure is supported by data from patients who reported successful outcomes up to five years.

Who is a good candidate for Vertiflex treatment? If you live with daily pain from lumbar spinal stenosis, are finding that it affects your quality of life, and would like to live a more active, pain-free lifestyle, Vertiflex may be a good choice for you.

VertiFlex won reimbursement coverage from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the company’s Totalis direct decompression system for treatment of spinal stenosis. San Clemente, Calif.

Pain medications such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), naproxen (Aleve, others) and acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) may be used temporarily to ease the discomfort of spinal stenosis. They are typically recommended for a short time only, as there’s little evidence of benefit from long-term use.

When spinal stenosis compresses the spinal cord in the neck, symptoms can be much more serious, including crippling muscle weakness in the arms and legs or even paralysis.

MILD Procedure

MILD® is a safe procedure that can help patients diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) stand longer and walk farther with less pain. It is a short, outpatient procedure, performed through a very small incision (about the size of a baby aspirin) that requires no general anesthesia, no implants, and no stitches.

MILD is an outpatient procedure performed in less than 1 hour and clinical studies show it’s a safe, effective procedure that helps LSS patients stand longer & walk farther with significantly less pain.