Ever felt like your back or neck just refuses to cooperate, stiff, sore, or sending sharp tingles down your arms or legs? That could be spinal stenosis, a condition that quite literally tightens your freedom to move.
Sources suggest, “Around 20 per cent of the elderly Indian population is suffering from spinal stenosis and the figure might increase manifold in the coming years due to increasing obesity among them, doctors said.” The article published in 2016 goes on to state that the number of spinal stenosis patients has increased over the years. This number must have further risen until today at the start of 2026.
Expert physiotherapists at ReLiva, India’s leading physiotherapy care organisation also align with this suggestion. As they see more and more patients with spine conditions leading to back pain related to spinal stenosis, it was imperative that we write this blog for our community. We attempt to give you a bird’s eye view on what is spinal stenosis, its causes, risk factors, types and treatment options. The article also suggests how and to what extent can physiotherapists help you avoid surgery while managing spinal stenosis symptoms effectively.
Here’s your roadmap to understanding spinal stenosis in this guide:
Overview | Symptoms | Types | Causes & Risk Factor | Treatment Options | How Physiotherapy helps | Exercises | FAQs | Homecare Tips
What is Spinal Stenosis?
In simple terms, spinal stenosis happens when the spaces inside your spine start shrinking, leaving less room for your spinal cord and nerves to pass through. It’s like a busy highway suddenly losing lanes, where nerve signals get jammed and pain, weakness, or numbness take over.
This “traffic jam” can happen anywhere along your spine, but the two most common trouble zones are the lower back called lumbar stenosis and the neck called cervical stenosis. In lumbar stenosis, you might feel pain, tingling, or heaviness in the legs, especially after walking or standing for too long.
CAUTION: This can sometimes compress the cauda equina (horse’s tail) — a serious medical emergency if accompanied by loss of sensation around the anus or loss of bladder/bowel control.
In cervical stenosis, the pain or numbness travels to your shoulders, arms, or hands, sometimes making even small tasks like writing or lifting difficult.
Most people don’t wake up with spinal stenosis overnight. It develops slowly, often due to age-related wear and tear, arthritis, or herniated discs. But even younger adults can experience it from spinal injuries or poor posture that builds pressure over time.
Related Reading: Spinal Physiotherapy: A Complete Guide to Spine Conditions and Rehab
What does Spinal Stenosis Feel Like? [Symptoms]
Here’s what people often notice:
- A dull ache that doesn’t quit and gets worse when standing upright.
- A strange tingling or pins-and-needles feeling that travels down your limbs.
- That odd relief you get when bending forward or sitting because it eases the pressure on your nerves for a while.
While the idea of surgery may sound intimidating, here’s the good news. Physiotherapy can be your game-changer. With the right mix of stretching, strengthening, and mobility exercises, physiotherapy helps you move freely again, reduce pain, and rebuild confidence in your body without going under the knife.
It’s not just treatment. It’s the path back to living life without limits.
Common symptoms associated with Spinal Stenosis are:
- Low back or neck pain that lasts long term
- Arm or leg numbness or tingling
- Weakness in the limbs
- Difficulty walking or standing for long periods
Types of Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis can be identified as 3 types:
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- Based on the area of spine affected: Cervical stenosis (neck) and Lumbar stenosis (lower back). Some people develop both types of cervical and/or lumbar spinal stenosis.
- Foraminal stenosis occurs when something compresses a nerve exiting the spinal column through the neuroforamen. This is the most commonly occurring type of spinal stenosis. Sometimes, doctors may refer to foraminal stenosis as lateral spinal stenosis. In the back of the spine, there are side holes that nerve roots exit through.
- Central canal stenosis occurs when something compresses nerves in the spinal canal.
Causes and Risk Factors associated with Spinal Stenosis
Although some people are born with spinal stenosis (called congenital spinal stenosis), most times, it develops in between the age of 30-50 years. Stenosis may progress incidental to naturally growing older and spinal wear and tear. It’s often the result of gradual changes in your spine that happen over time. Let’s look at the main causes and what increases your risk.
- Degeneration with Age
As we age, our spine naturally goes through wear and tear. The discs that act as cushions between the vertebrae begin to lose water content and elasticity, making them less flexible. Over time, the bones may thicken and the ligaments around the spine can stiffen or bulge inward, narrowing the spinal canal and pressing on nearby nerves. This is one of the most common reasons people over 50 experience spinal stenosis. - Arthritis and Bone Spurs
Conditions like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can cause inflammation and trigger the growth of bone spurs, small bony projections that form along the spine. These spurs can gradually invade the spinal canal space, putting pressure on the spinal cord and nerve roots, leading to pain, tingling, or numbness.
- Herniated Discs and Thickened Ligaments
When a spinal disc ruptures or slips out of place (Slipped disc / PIVD), its soft inner material can push into the spinal canal and irritate nearby nerves. Similarly, over time, spinal ligaments can thicken or harden, encroaching on the nerve pathways and worsening symptoms of stenosis.
*The ligamentum flavum is a spinal ligament that, when it thickens, can buckle and compress spinal nerve structures.
- Lifestyle and Posture
Your everyday habits play a larger role than you might think. A sedentary lifestyle, long hours of sitting, or poor posture can gradually weaken your back and core muscles, putting extra stress on your spine. Lack of physical activity also reduces spinal flexibility, making it harder for your body to support and stabilize your back properly. - Trauma or Congenital Conditions
Sometimes, spinal stenosis can result from a sudden injury or fracture that alters the alignment of the vertebrae or causes swelling that narrows the canal. In other cases, some people are born with a naturally narrow spinal canal, a condition known as congenital spinal stenosis, which makes them more prone to developing symptoms earlier in life. - Other Contributing Factors
- Previous spinal surgery or infections that cause scarring around the spinal cord.
Tumors or cysts in the spine that take up space within the spinal canal. - Occupations or sports involving repetitive heavy lifting, bending, or twisting that strain the spine over time.
Understanding these causes is the first step toward managing spinal stenosis effectively. With the right combination of physiotherapy, posture correction, and lifestyle changes, many people can prevent further progression and regain a pain-free range of motion.
To learn more, read: Understanding Degenerative Disc Disease and Its Physiotherapy Management.
Spinal Stenosis Treatment Options:
Spinal stenosis can be addressed with:
- Pain medication/ Muscle relaxants, that may relieve pain but will come back as effect of medicine wears off
- Spinal injection
- Short-term bracing supports the spine, may help relieve pain
- Physiotherapy – Specialized spinal canal narrowing exercises and other spinal stenosis therapies under expert physio care can minimize pressure and strengthen supportive muscles. Keeping the neighboring muscles strong helps to offload the stress on the affected area and bring relief for the long term.
- Surgery– You may discuss surgical treatment of spinal stenosis in cases of Spinal instability, Neurologic dysfunction and/or non-operative treatment fails and pain persists.
Symptoms That Mean You Should See a Physiotherapist
It often starts subtly, a nagging backache after a long walk, a tingling in your legs that won’t go away, or stiffness in your neck that makes turning your head feel like a chore. Many people brush off these early signs as part of “getting older” or “sitting too long,” but they can actually be your body’s way of warning you about spinal stenosis.
Ignoring these symptoms can make things worse over time. That’s where a physiotherapist steps in, not only to ease your pain but to help restore strength, posture, and confidence in movement before the condition progresses.
If you experience any of the following symptoms, it is time to visit a physiotherapist:
- Lower back or neck pain that persists
- Numbness, tingling, or weakness in your arms or legs
- Difficulty walking or standing for extended periods
- Pain that worsens while standing or walking but eases when sitting or leaning forward
Early physiotherapy treatment can reduce symptoms and delay surgery. Research results [1] suggest that supervised physical therapy is preferred over surgery as first-choice treatment, to prevent complications and to minimize health care costs, especially in mild to moderate cases of LSS.
How Physiotherapy Helps in Managing Spinal Stenosis
Physiotherapy plays a key role in relieving the pain and mobility issues caused by spinal stenosis. The goal of physiotherapy is not only to ease discomfort but also to restore movement, strengthen supporting muscles, and improve posture for long-term spine health. Through a combination of manual therapy, stretching, and strengthening exercises, physiotherapists help reduce pressure on the affected nerves and improve spinal flexibility.
Regular physio sessions focus on:
1. Exercise therapy to build strength and improve your flexibility, helping you stay active
- core strengthening and hip mobility to stabilize the spine,
- postural correction to reduce nerve compression, and
- mobility training to increase walking endurance.
2. Mix of Physiotherapy Techniques such as
- heat therapy,
- soft tissue mobilization, and
- guided aerobic exercises further support pain relief and functional recovery
3. Spinal Unloaded Exercises’ performed with Hydrotherapy and/or harness-supported walking exercises are particularly helpful. In both cases, exercises are to be delivered as part of a multimodal intervention. In hydrotherapy, 50% of the body weight will be reduced in water which supports and helps the patient to do the exercises effortlessly.
Some research [2] has shown that strengthening the core muscles helps improve spinal stenosis symptoms. Targeting your core strengthens muscles that support your spine, which may ease your symptoms.
With a structured, supervised approach, physiotherapy empowers patients to move confidently, manage pain naturally, and regain independence in their daily activities.
Exercises for Spinal Stenosis
Consistent, low-impact exercise is one of the most effective ways to manage spinal stenosis and maintain long-term mobility. The focus should be on strengthening the muscles that support the spine while improving flexibility and posture control.
Physiotherapists often recommend planks and side planks to build core stability, helping to reduce the load on spinal joints. Pelvic tilts and knee-to-chest stretches can relieve stiffness and enhance spinal flexibility, while hamstring stretches help ease muscle tension in the lower back and legs. These exercises are gentle yet effective in reducing pain and improving movement.
A well-planned exercise program is essential in the management of spinal stenosis. Some of the best ones are:
- Flexion-based exercises: Mild forward-bending movements help open the spinal canal and relieve pressure on compressed nerves.
- Core strengthening exercises: Planks, bridges, and gentle abdominal exercises build stability in the lumbar region and decrease mechanical stress on spinal joints.
- Stretching: Hamstring, hip flexor, and lower back stretches reduce muscle tightness and improve flexibility.
- Low-impact aerobic activities: Walking, swimming, or cycling increase blood flow, support healthy joint motion, and maintain endurance without straining the back.
By practicing these movements regularly, under the guidance of a physiotherapist, patients can experience improved posture, better balance, and increased walking tolerance, all without overstraining the back. To get the most benefit, it’s important to follow a personalized exercise plan tailored to your spine condition.
ReLiva’s expert physiotherapists offer spinal stenosis rehab that’s safe, effective, and designed for long-term relief.
Book your spinal physiotherapy assessment today and take the first step toward pain-free movement.
When Care Meets Consistency: Real Relief Stories
Every recovery journey tells its own story of pain, patience, and progress. For many patients with spinal issues, physiotherapy has been the turning point toward pain-free living.
Take Mayur’s experience, for instance. He came in struggling with a disc bulge that had limited his movement and comfort. After undergoing spinal decompression therapy in Mumbai and a structured exercise plan under physiotherapist Dr. Arunima’s care, he began to see remarkable progress. “I came for disc bulge treatment and took spinal decompression — I’m already 50% better.” he shared.
These stories reflect what countless patients experience: how dedicated physiotherapy, personalized care, and consistent effort can restore mobility, strength, and confidence even after major spinal challenges. At ReLiva, every recovery is personal, every success hard-earned.
Wait no More! Book your session and start your recovery journey today.
FAQs:
Q: What are safe exercises for spinal stenosis?
A: Flexion-type movements, low-level stretches, core strengthening, and low-impact cardio are usually safe. Avoid high-impact exercise or heavy lifting unless a physiotherapist is in charge.
Q: Can physiotherapy prevent surgery for spinal stenosis?
A: Yes, consistent physiotherapy eases pain owing to spinal stenosis and prevents or delays the need for surgery. Medical studies [3] suggest that supervised physical therapy is preferred over surgery as first-choice treatment, to prevent complications and to minimize health care costs, especially in mild to moderate cases of LSS.
Q: How long does it take to see improvement in spinal stenosis with physiotherapy?
A: When treating spinal stenosis with physiotherapy, improvement occurs in 6–8 weeks in most patients, but exercises and lifestyle changes are necessary for long-term relief.
Lifestyle & Home Care Tips
Along with physiotherapy, lifestyle modification plays an important role in the treatment of spinal stenosis:
- Ergonomic changes: Sit well supported, maintain good posture, and adapt workstations.
- Weight Control: Lower weight – lower stress on the spine – It is as simple as this.
- Perform Low-impact exercise regularly: Walking, swimming, or cycling preserves muscle and joint motion.
- Stay away from standing or high-impact activity for long periods: These can make symptoms worse.
Implementation of these habits into daily life maintains physiotherapy and promotes long-term back health.
Real Recovery Through Physiotherapy: A Story of Lasting Relief
Spinal stenosis need not be challenging; with the right physiotherapy plan, targeted exercises, and lifestyle changes, symptoms can be effectively managed without surgery. At ReLiva, physiotherapists focus on strengthening, posture correction, and mobility training to help patients regain control over their movements and reduce pain.
One such example is Prasanth, who had been diagnosed with a spinal issue. With a structured, exercise-based spine rehab plan designed by physiotherapist Dr. Pragati (PT), his symptoms reduced within a few sessions, and the pain and numbness completely disappeared. He calls it the best spinal physiotherapy in Bangalore and quips, “After taking just a few sessions, I could feel the difference and my symptoms started reducing. The treatment plan is completely based on exercises and strengthening activities which gradually improved my condition. Dr Pragati does an analysis prior to every session, to understand any concerns on the exercises. Great appreciation for her holistic and proactive approach to treating her patients.” His recovery reflects how proactive and personalized physiotherapy can restore function and improve quality of life.
If you or a loved one are experiencing persistent back or neck pain, consult a qualified physiotherapist at ReLiva to begin a personalized spine rehabilitation plan today.
We hope this information about spinal stenosis has answered your immediate questions. Remember, your doctor is your most valuable source to answer your questions about symptoms and your healthcare.
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This post is based on the inputs from Dr Venkat Naveen (PT) and Dr Lavanya Rajendran (PT).
Guntur’s top rated physiotherapist Dr. Naveen Kumar (PT) is a seasoned spinal expert, specializing in manual therapy and MSK rehabilitation. His vast experience with post operative as well as post trauma patients adds to his knowledge and skills to ensure that patients achieve long-term musculoskeletal health and improved quality of life.
Physiotherapist Dr Lavanya is a Senior Lead Physio Expert in Bengaluru and champions the recovery of patients with her multi faceted approach using modern tech and latest physiotherapy advances.
Scholarly References:
[1] Minetama, M., Kawakami, M., Teraguchi, M. et al. “Supervised physical therapy versus surgery for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis: a propensity score-matched analysis.” BMC Musculoskelet Disord 23, 658 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-022-05632-y
[2] A. Tanna, Y. Dave, E. Byiringiro, A. Kakkad; “Effectiveness of physiotherapy in lumbar canal stenosis with scoliosis: Case study,”; Fisioterapia, Volume 47, Issue 6, 2025; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ft.2025.09.002.
