Thoracic spinal stenosis, at the level of the mid-back, is much less common.In lumbar stenosis, the spinal nerve roots in the lower back are compressed which can lead to symptoms of sciatica (tingling, weakness, or numbness that radiates from the low back and into the buttocks and legs).Cervical spinal stenosis can be far more dangerous by compressing the spinal cord. Cervical canal stenosis may lead to myelopathy, a serious condition causing symptoms including major body weakness and paralysis. Such severe spinal stenosis symptoms are virtually absent in  lumbar stenosis, however, as the spinal cord terminates at the top end of the adult lumbar spine, with only nerve roots (cauda equina) continuing further down. Cervical spinal stenosis is a condition involving narrowing of the spinal canal at the level of the neck. It is frequently due to chronic degeneration, but may also be congenital or traumatic. Treatment frequently is surgical. Signs and symptoms
Common
Standing discomfort (94%)
Discomfort/pain, in shoulder, arm, hand (78%)
Bilateral symptoms (68%)
Numbness at or below the level of involvement  (63%)
Weakness at or below the level of involvement  (43%)
Pain or weakness in buttock / thigh only (8%)
Pain or weakness below the knee (3%)

Neurological disorders
Cervical (spondylotic) myelopathy, a syndrome caused by compression of the cervical spinal cord which is associated with "numb and clumsy hands", imbalance,   loss of bladder and bowel control, and weakness that can progress to paralysis. Pinched nerve, causing numbness.
The U-shaped device maintains height between the bones in the spine so nerves can exit freely and extend to lower extremities. Surgery for cervical myelopathy is either conducted from the front or from the back, depending on several factors such as where the compression occurs and how the cervical spine is aligned. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: A surgical treatment of nerve root or spinal cord compression by decompressing the spinal cord and nerve roots of the cervical spine with a discectomy in order to stabilize the corresponding vertebrae. Posterior approaches seek to generate space around the spinal cord by removing parts of the posterior elements of the spine. Techniques include laminectomy, laminectomy and fusion, and laminoplasty.Decompression plus fusion appears no better than decompression alone, while spinal spacers appears better than decompression plus fusion but not better than decompression alone. No differences were found in the type of decompression. Epidemiology
The NAMCS data shows the incidence in the U.S. population to be 3.9% of 29,964,894 visits for mechanical back problems. The Longitudinal Framingham Heart Study found 1% of men and 1.5% of women had vertebral slippage at a mean age of 54. Over the next 25 years, 11% of men and 25% of women developed degenerative vertebral slippage. Research
A RCT is being conducted in Sweden, to compare surgery versus non-surgical treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis. See also
Spinal cord compression

References
External links
"Spinal Stenosis". PubMed Health. National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine. 25 May 2010. Archived from the original on 8 February 2011.