Stenosis
Stenosis means narrowing of a canal. There are three types of canals in the spine. The spinal canal where the nerves in the lower back and the spinal cord in the neck and thoracic spine live can be narrowed causing compression of those structures. The lateral recess is a canal that exists only in the lower back where the nerve can be compressed. Finally, the foramen is the exit of the nerve from the spinal canal that exists in all three areas (neck, mid-back and lower back) and can be stenosed (narrowed) by either bone spur or a disc herniation causing nerve compression or a pinched nerve.
