Page 8 - July Rolling Stone

Administrator’s Corner
By Andres Bardelas Administrator, Liberty Village of Freeport A Not-For-Profit Medicare 5-Star Rated Provider
As a result of continued reader requests, today’s column is an updated version of last year’s column.
This month we celebrate Independence Day, more common- ly referred to as the Fourth of July. It is usually associated with fireworks, picnics, barbecues, parades and other forms of activities that bring people together. We are commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress declaring our independence from the King of Great Britain. It is considered the greatest document in establishing the government of our country that we still practice today. So, 240 years later, does it mean the same to us as it did back then?
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are cre- ated equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with cer- tain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights,
Cont. on page 11, Corner
Spinal Stenosis
Dr. Julie Smith AIH Complementary Medicine
In the medical field, stenosis means the abnormal narrowing of a body channel. When combined with the word spinal, it defines a narrowing of the bone channel occupied by the spinal nerves or the spinal cord.
Though narrowing can occur at any level in the spine, for the purposes of this article we will address the lumbar or low back spinal stenosis.
Some people are born with a congenital form, but most devel- op spinal stenosis as part of the degenerative cascade. A few do not feel any effects of the narrowing, but as part of the aging process, most people will eventually notice radiating pain, weak- ness, and/or numbness secondary to the compression of the nerves or spinal cord.
In lumbar stenosis, the spinal nerve roots in the lower back become compressed and this can produce symptoms of sciati- ca—tingling, weakness, or numbness that radiates from the low back and into the buttocks and legs, especially with activity. The area of the lumbar spine that is most affected is the L4-L5 and the L3-L4 junctions.
Lumbar spinal stenosis often mimics symptoms of vascular insufficiency. Both conditions can cause claudication, which means leg pain with walking. Vascular studies and MRIs are used to diagnose the correct condition. Neurogenic claudication is the term used when there is stenosis present but normal blood flow.
People with spinal stenosis will describe an onset of leg pain or weakness with walking, but with relief of symptoms with sit- ting. Many will also describe a decrease in pain with walking when flexed forward, such as when walking while leaning for- ward on a shopping cart.
Cont. on page 9, Spinal
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