what does narrowing of the neural foramina mean - Spinal Cord Disorders Message Board

grannie06 · 12-10-2007, 08:23 PM

what does narrowing of the neural foramina mean

PNo · 12-10-2007, 10:14 PM

The best way I could understand the spine is to think of your spinal cord like a tree with branches. The spinal cord that runs from your head to your "behind" is the tree trunk. Off the spinal cord there are "nerve roots", like tree branches. There are branches at every step down your vertebrae. The spine is labeled levels Cs for neck, T's for Trunk (thoracic) and Ls for Lumbar (lower back). Depending on the number that is the level where you neural foramina is narrowed.

The neural foramin are canal like space where those "tree braches" nerves roots exit the spinal canal to your extremities, body , etc.. There is one on each side (right and left) formed by the bony part of your spine.

Narrowing is most usually caused by bone spur /ridges like growth, or sometimes disc material bulging into that space. Usually causing pain, tingling, or numbness.

kelsey1 · 12-11-2007, 06:51 AM

hi,
neck, did a great job of explaining it,i could never put into those words .I just want to add than depending on the area of the narrowing(for ex, mine is in my neck normal dm. is 12-14 )so anything below a 10 in that area would be called spinal stenosis lower the number the worse the stenoisis, Mine is really low don't know the # but was told it was real low.Do some checking on the web of those (and the stensosis) words. This is what i do learn as much as poss,learn use all resourses dr,web, us, it helps me so much,it makes me

feel like a least i know some of what i am up against.good luck keep us posted,kelsey