Symptoms:

Often, symptoms will get worse slowly over time. Most often, symptoms will be on one side of the body or the other.

Symptoms include:

• Numbness, cramping, or pain in the back, buttocks, thighs, or calves, or in the neck, shoulders, or arms
• Weakness of part of a leg or arm

Symptoms are more likely to be present or get worse when you stand or walk. They will often lessen or disappear when you sit down or lean forward. Most people with spinal stenosis cannot walk for a long period of time.

Patients with spinal stenosis may be able to ride a bicycle with little pain.

More serious symptoms include:

• Difficulty or poor balance when walking
• Problems controlling urine or bowel movements

Signs and tests:

During the physical exam, your doctor will try to find the location of the pain and figure out how it affects your movement. You will be asked to:

• Sit, stand, and walk. While you walk, your doctor may ask you to try walking on your toes and then your heels.
• Bend forward, backward, and sideways
• Lift your legs straight up while lying down. If the pain is worse when you do this, you may have sciatica, especially if you also feel numbness or tingling in one of your legs.

Your doctor will also move your legs in different positions, including bending and straightening your knees. All the while, the doctor is checking your strength and your ability to move.

To test nerve function, the doctor will use a rubber hammer to check your reflexes. Touching your legs in many places with a pin, cotton swab, or feather tests how well you feel. Your doctor will tell you to speak up if there are areas where you have less feeling from the pin, cotton, or feather.

A brain/nervous system (neurological) examination can confirm leg weakness and decreased sensation in the legs. The following tests may be done:

• EMG
• Spinal MRI or spinal CT scan
• X-ray of the spine