If you’re one of the millions of people worldwide who suffer from cervical stenosis, which is the narrowing of the spinal canal in the region of your neck, you may be desperate to find relief from symptoms of travelling pain, localized pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness. However, what many people don’t realize is that there are a variety of treatment options other than surgery. From exercise to massage, nutritional improvements to knowledge therapy, non-invasive relief is possible.
How Biofeedback Works
The majority of cervical stenosis cases are caused by degenerative conditions, such as degenerative disc disease or facet disease, either of which can lead to bone spurs, herniated discs, bulging discs, collapsed discs, or other injuries that contribute to neural compression. There is a holistic form of pain management called “behavior modification,” or biofeedback, which strives to change the way your brain interprets and responds to pain signals. How does it work? Electrodes and other sensory equipment are used to find patterns in your body’s physical responses to stimuli. Once the relationships between psychological responses (thoughts, emotions, and behavior) and physiological responses (brainwaves, muscle movement, skin temperature, pain perception, and heart rate) have been established, the patient can, ideally, begin to change their outward behavior, thereby changing their ability to manage pain.
For instance, if a patient is suffering from cervical stenosis that is causing bouts of muscle spasms or tingling in the neck, a doctor may put electrical sensors on the patient’s neck. The sensors, with the help of monitoring equipment, track the body’s responses to the spasms. In time, a patient may be able to use deep breathing, visualization, or other techniques to eliminate or reduce the pain.
Additional Treatment Options
Behavior modification in the form of biofeedback will not work for all individuals. If you have tried a variety of non-surgical treatments for your cervical stenosis, lumbar stenosis, or thoracic stenosis, and have found them to be ineffective, you may be ready for more progressive pain relief measures. If neck surgery becomes an option, consider contacting Laser Spine Institute (LSI). Our state-of-the-art, endoscopic procedures are minimally invasive and are performed on an outpatient basis, so you can get back to living an active, pain-free life as soon as possible.
