Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal in any part
of the spinal region. The diagnosis is common in older patients,
as the narrowing usually occurs with age as a persons disks
become drier and start to bulge. This causes pressure on the
spinal cord and can cause pain, cramps, and numbness anywhere in
the neck, back, shoulders, and arms. A recent study published in
the journal Spine found that patients who don't smoke have more
success from surgery than from nonsurgical treatment. The
research team examined information from the Spine Outcomes
Research Trial (SPORT), clinical spine surgery trials. In the
trials, patients with spinal stenosis were given either surgical
or nonsurgical treatment in addition to filling out lifestyle
surveys. 419 patients received surgery and 235 patients
underwent nonsurgical treatment. For non-smoking patients,
results showed more success in treatment with surgery. For non-
smokers, it did not matter which treatment they received, the
same improvement occurred with ei