Non-Surgical Options

Once you have been diagnosed with LSS, there are many non-surgical treatments that medical professionals may recommend. These include:

  • Rest/Restricted Activity

  • Weight loss

  • Medication (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)

  • Chiropractic Care

  • Massage Therapy

  • Acupuncture

  • Physical Therapy

  • Exercise

  • Injections

  • NSAIDS (i.e. Motrin, Advil, or Aleve)

If after 6 months of using these treatments you still feel pain and experience other symptoms, it may be time to talk with your provider about surgery.

Surgical Options

Once you have tried other methods with no success, spine surgery may be the next option. Selection of a surgical treatment is generally based on the extent of your spinal stenosis and the extent of the decompression needed to relieve your symptoms.

  • Decompression alone

  • Decompression and Interlaminar Stabilization with the coflex® implant

  • Direct decompression with pedicle screw fusion

“I tried a lot of physical therapy. I tried the chiropractic treatment. I tried epidural shots. I tried a lot of things, none of it really helped for very long.”

-Ed

Direct Decompression Alone

The most common surgical treatment is direct decompression on its own. It removes diseased or inflamed tissue that may affect the spinal nerves.

The procedure:

  • Involves a laminectomy or laminotomy is performed to access and address the stenosing structures

  • Requires no device to be implanted

  • Can be done as a minimally invasive procedure

  • Can be effective at relieving leg pain

Direct Decompression and Interlaminar Stabilization with the coflex® implant

The coflex® implant is an alternative to fusion for a subset of lumbar spinal stenosis patients. The coflex® implant is placed in the back of the spine to keep it stable and help ease the pain caused by moderate to severe spinal stenosis.

Once direct decompression surgery is completed, the motion-preserving coflex® implant is placed on the lamina (the strongest posterior bone in the body) to help with stability

  • The coflex® implant maintains the height between the bones in your spine to help the nerves move freely

  • Leg pain and back pain are relieved

Reference: coflex® eIFU

For patients who qualify, surgery to implant the coflex® implant can be performed in an outpatient setting. The coflex® implant is not for everyone; you must have tried non-surgical methods for at least 6 months before you decide on surgery. To see a visual of where the coflex® implant is implanted along with more information, click here.

Direct Decompression with Pedicle Screw Fusion

Spinal fusion is an invasive surgical treatment to address lumbar spinal stenosis. Fusion is for patients with spinal instability or other traumatic conditions. It requires a significant amount of bone and/or tissue removal, and to address the instability, the spine surgeon fuses two vertebrae together.

The procedure consists of placing implants within the spine such as screws, and rods. Bone graft, or other fusion materials, may be used to create biological fusion and permanently fix the spine in place.

  • coflex® maintains motion at the treated level

  • Shorter operative time

  • Less blood loss

  • Shorter hospital stay

  • Quicker recovery with coflex® implant compared with pedicle screw fusion

One of the best ways to learn more about the coflex® procedure is by hearing from patients who have undergone treatment. Their experiences can provide valuable insight into the treatment journey and recovery process.

*Prospective, randomized, multicenter study with 2-year follow-up to compare the performance of decompression with and without
interlaminar stabilization. Schmidt, S, Journal Neurosurgery, 2018.
^Evaluation of decompression and lnterlaminar Stabilization compared with decompression and fusion for the treatment of lumbar spinal
stenosis 5-year follow-up of a prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Musacchio, M., International Journal of Spine Surgery, 2016.

This content is for educational purposes only and does not replace having a conversation with your doctor.

Take our quiz so you can find out if the coflex® implant may be an option for you.