What is the Difference Between Foraminal Stenosis and Spinal Stenosis

The key difference between foraminal stenosis and spinal stenosis is that foraminal stenosis is the narrowing of the canals through which spinal nerves travel before exiting the spine, while spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the canals through which the spinal cord travels.

Foraminal stenosis and spinal stenosis usually describe the narrowing of the canals in the spine. This narrowing is caused by degenerative processes. It occurs as people age and can be associated with bulging discs, arthritic bone spurs, or thickening of tissues such as ligaments. Moreover, when the canals get too narrow, we experience pain and loss of function.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Foraminal Stenosis  
3. What is Spinal Stenosis
4. Similarities – Foraminal Stenosis and Spinal Stenosis
5. Foraminal Stenosis vs Spinal Stenosis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Foraminal Stenosis vs Spinal Stenosis

What is Foraminal Stenosis?

Foraminal stenosis is the narrowing of the canals through which spinal nerves travel before exiting the spine. The spine is made up of 33 vertebrae. Each one has openings to let nerves branch off the spinal cord. When these openings, called neural foramen narrow, get blocked, they can press on spinal nerves. This medical condition is called foraminal stenosis. Foraminal stenosis can happen anywhere along the spine. Based on the place, there are three main types of foraminal stenosis: cervical foraminal stenosis, thoracic foraminal stenosis, or lumbar foraminal stenosis.

Most causes of foraminal stenosis are degenerative. But it can also be caused by injuries. Some causes of foraminal stenosis are osteoarthritis, Paget’s disease, herniated discs, thickened ligaments, tumors, and spinal injuries. The symptoms of foraminal stenosis are most common in people over 50. The common symptoms may include neck pain, balance problems, loss of bowel or bladder control, trouble using hands, numbness in the hand, arm, foot, or leg, weakness in the hand, arm, leg, or foot, numbness or tingling at or below the level of abdomen, weakness or pain at or below the level of abdomen, sciatica, pain in the lower back which may come and go, numbness in buttock, loss of bowel or bladder control, pain that worsens when standing or walking for long periods, and pain that gets better when leaning forward, bending forward or sitting.

Foraminal stenosis can be diagnosed through physical examination, X-ray, MRI, CT, and myelogram. Furthermore, treatments for foraminal stenosis include medicines (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, pain medicines, muscle relaxers, and steroids), correcting the posture, modifying activities (changing home and work environment to reduce bending, twisting, or stretching, and learning proper lifting techniques), physical therapy, braces, and surgery.

What is Spinal Stenosis?

Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spaces in the spine that can compress the spinal cord and nerve roots of each vertebra. Spinal stenosis can occur anywhere along the spine but is most common in two areas: lower back and neck. Spinal stenosis is most common in people over 50 years old. Moreover, the causes of spinal stenosis include bone overgrowth/arthritic spurs, bulging disks/herniated disks, thickened ligaments, spinal fractures and injuries, spinal cord cysts or tumors, and congenital conditions like scoliosis.

The symptoms of spinal stenosis include pain in the lower back, sciatica, heavy feeling in the legs, numbness or tingling in hand, buttocks, leg, or foot, weakness in the arm, hand, leg, or foot, and pain that worsens when standing for a long period of time, walking or walking downhill, pain that lessens when leaning, bending slightly forward, walking uphill or sitting, loss of bladder or bowel control, neck pain, problems with balance, loss of function in hands, such as having problems writing or buttoning shirts and pain, numbness, tingling and or weakness at or below the level of the abdomen.

Spinal stenosis can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, X-ray, MRI CT scan, or CT myelogram. Furthermore, spinal stenosis is treated through self-help remedies (apply heat, apply cold, exercise), oral medications (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines, medications having pain-relieving properties like antiseizure drugs or tricyclic antidepressants, opioids for short-term pain relievers, and muscle relaxants), physical therapy, steroid injections, decompression procedure, and surgical procedures (laminectomy, laminotomy, laminoplasty, interspinous process spaces, and spinal fusion).

What are the Similarities Between Foraminal Stenosis and Spinal Stenosis?

• Foraminal stenosis and spinal stenosis usually describe the narrowing of the canals in the spine of people.
• Both are most common in people over 50 years old.
• They are due to degenerative causes and injuries.
• Both are diagnosed through similar procures like physical examination, X-ray, MRI, or CT scan.
• They are treated through medicines and surgeries.

What is the Difference Between Foraminal Stenosis and Spinal Stenosis?

Foraminal stenosis is the narrowing of the canals through which spinal nerves travel before exiting the spine, while spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the canals through which the spinal cord travels. Thus, this is the key difference between foraminal stenosis and spinal stenosis. Furthermore, foraminal stenosis is caused by osteoarthritis, Paget’s disease, herniated discs, thickened ligaments, tumors, and spinal injuries, while spinal stenosis is caused by bone overgrowth/arthritic spurs, bulging disks/herniated disk, thickened ligaments, spinal fractures and injuries, spinal cord cysts or tumors, congenital conditions like scoliosis.

The below infographic presents the differences between foraminal stenosis and spinal stenosis in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Foraminal Stenosis vs Spinal Stenosis

Foraminal stenosis and spinal stenosis usually describe the narrowing of the canals in the spine of people. Foraminal stenosis is the narrowing of the canals through which spinal nerves travel before exiting the spine, while spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the canals through which the spinal cord travels. So, this is the key difference between foraminal stenosis and spinal stenosis.

Reference:

1. “Foraminal Stenosis: What Causes It and How It’s Treated.” WebMD.
2. “Spinal Stenosis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Projectional radiograph of cervical foraminal stenosis, annotated” By Mikael Häggström – Own work, CC0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Spinal Stenosis” By Blausen.com staff (2014). Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014. WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436. – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia