ABSTRACT
Spinal stenosis is caused by narrowing of the spinal canal, either in its central portion, or peripherally in the lateral recess or nerve root canal. The peak age of presentation is in the fourth to sixth decades of life. Men are nearly twice as likely to be affected as women. Symptoms only occur when the contained neural elements are compressed. The mechanism by which this compression produces ‘neurogenic claudication’ is unclear. Ischaemia, mechanical irritation and a rise in intraosseous and/or extradural venous pressures have all been cited as possible causes.
