Foraminal Stenosis

What Are the Symptoms of Foraminal Stenosis?

Common signs of foraminal stenosis include numbness, burning, tingling, and a sensation of “pins and needles” locally and/or in the extremities. Since foraminal narrowing hinders the nerve’s ability to function correctly, symptoms of foraminal stenosis can be quite painful.

Cervical Foraminal Stenosis Symptoms

Burning pain in the neck, shoulders, arms, and/or hands
Tingling in the neck, shoulders, arms, and/or hands
Numbness in the neck, shoulders, arms, and/or hands
Pins and needles sensation in the neck, shoulders, arms, and/or hands
Muscle weakness in the arms

Lumbar Foraminal Stenosis Symptoms

Burning pain in the buttocks, legs, and/or feet
Tingling in the buttocks, legs, and/or feet
Numbness in the buttocks, legs, and/or feet
Pins and needles sensation in the buttocks, legs, and/or feet
Muscle weakness in the legs

Activities such as walking will usually make your foraminal stenosis symptoms worse. In severe cases, the patient’s ability to walk may be severely limited. On the other hand, many patients find that their foraminal stenosis symptoms subside after a short amount of rest. As bending forward expands the spine, many patients also find relief when leaning on a shopping cart of cane.

The location of the stenosis dictates where the symptoms be felt. For example, if a cervical foramen is affected, foraminal stenosis symptoms will be felt in the shoulders, arms, and hands. If a lumbar foramen is affected, the foraminal stenosis symptoms, however, will be felt in the buttocks, legs, and feet.

Severe signs of foraminal stenosis occur if the muscles are deprived of nutrients for an extended period of time. Severe nerve compression can also result in nerve death, which may further lead to muscle weakness or a decrease of muscle mass.

Although not every stenosis is critical, it is important to fix the problem early to prevent nerve death and the loss of sensory and/or motor ability.

Confused about your symptoms?

If you think that you are showing signs of foraminal stenosis we recommend that you take a moment to fill out our where is your pain diagnostics survey. Once we receive it, one of our ASC patient advocates will be in touch with you to provide you with any help or advice that you may need.

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