The Spine & Back Blog

Understanding Spinal Stenosis: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Options

Spinal stenosis is a condition where the spaces within your spine narrow, placing pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. At Neuroscience & Spine Center of the Carolinas (NSSC) in Gastonia, NC, we provide expert diagnosis and treatment—helping patients relieve pain, restore mobility, and improve quality of life.

Understanding Spinal Stenosis: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Options (NSSC, Gastonia, NC)Symptoms of Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis symptoms can develop gradually and may include:

  • Back or leg pain that worsens when standing or walking
  • Numbness, tingling, or weakness in the arms, hands, legs, or feet
  • Neck pain or stiffness (cervical stenosis)
  • Difficulty walking long distances
  • Loss of bladder or bowel control in severe cases (requires immediate care)

Causes of Spinal Stenosis

The most common cause is age-related degeneration, but other factors include:

  • Arthritis and bone spurs
  • Herniated or bulging discs
  • Thickened ligaments
  • Spinal injuries or fractures
  • Congenital narrowing of the spine

Treatment Options at NSSC

We create personalized treatment plans to address each patient’s needs and lifestyle.

Non-Surgical Treatments:

  • Physical therapy
  • Anti-inflammatory medications
  • Epidural steroid injections

Surgical Options (Minimally Invasive When Possible):

  • Laminectomy
  • Foraminotomy
  • Minimally invasive decompression
  • Spinal fusion for instability

Why Choose NSSC for Spine and Back Care?

Neuroscience & Spine Center of the Carolinas - Gastonia Back Pain Treatment Experts

Looking for back or spine pain relief in the Gastonia, NC area? Contact us today and learn how we can help.

At Neuroscience and Spine Center of the Carolinas (NSSC), we specialize in minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS)—a modern, patient-centered surgical technique that treats spine conditions through small incisions with precision tools and less disruption to surrounding tissue.

Traditional vs Minimally Invasive Spine SurgeryWhat is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) uses specialized instruments and advanced imaging guidance to access and treat problem areas of the spine with greater accuracy and less trauma to muscles, ligaments, and nerves. It’s ideal for treating conditions such as:

Rather than large incisions and lengthy hospital stays, MISS is designed to help you recover quicker, safer, and with fewer complications.

Key Benefits of MISS

  • Smaller Incisions – Typically 1–2 inches vs. traditional 4–6+ inches
  • Less Muscle Disruption – Leads to reduced post-op pain and faster healing
  • Minimal Blood Loss – Less need for transfusions
  • Lower Risk of Infection – Due to smaller wounds and shorter surgical time
  • Shorter Recovery Times – Many patients return home the same day or next
  • Faster Return to Daily Life – Resume work and activities with less downtime

At NSSC, your care is led by Dr. William Hunter, a board-certified neurosurgeon with over a decade of experience in both traditional and advanced spine procedures. Our approach is conservative, compassionate, and personalized

Back Pain? Schedule a Consultation at Our Gastonia Office

If you’ve been living with pain that limits your movement, your sleep, or your ability to enjoy life, schedule a consultation today. We’re here to help you get back to doing what you love, pain-free.

Neck pain is one of the most common complaints we see at Neuroscience and Spine Center of the Carolinas. And it’s no surprise. Between daily activities like working at computers, driving, and simply dealing with the stresses of modern life, your neck endures a lot of strain.

When neck pain becomes persistent or severe, it can affect every part of your life. From your ability to work and exercise to your overall mood and quality of sleep.

Dr. William Hunter, MD, a Board-Certified Neurosurgeon with extensive expertise in complex spine care, leads our team in providing expert diagnosis and both non-surgical and surgical treatments to help you find lasting relief.

Common Symptoms of Cervical (Neck) Pain

Understanding Cervical (Neck) Pain: Causes, Symptoms, and Advanced Treatment Options - NSSC | GastoniaNeck pain can present in different ways depending on the cause. Symptoms may include:

  • Persistent or sharp pain in the neck
  • Stiffness and decreased range of motion
  • Pain radiating to the shoulders, arms, or hands
  • Numbness or tingling in the arms or fingers
  • Headaches, often originating at the base of the skull
  • Muscle weakness in the arms or hands
  • Difficulty maintaining balance or coordination in severe cases

Early evaluation is important, especially if symptoms interfere with daily activities, worsen over time, or are associated with neurological changes like numbness or weakness.

Common Causes of Neck Pain

There are many potential reasons for cervical spine pain, including:

  • Degenerative Disc Disease: Age-related wear and tear can cause discs between the vertebrae to break down, leading to pain and stiffness.
  • Herniated or Bulging Disc: When a spinal disc presses on a nearby nerve, it can cause radiating pain, numbness, or weakness in the arms.
  • Spinal Stenosis: Narrowing of the spinal canal, often due to arthritis or bone spurs, which puts pressure on the spinal cord or nerves.
  • Cervical Radiculopathy ("Pinched Nerve"): Nerve compression resulting in pain, numbness, or weakness radiating from the neck into the arms.
  • Trauma or Injury: Whiplash from car accidents, sports injuries, or falls can cause acute or chronic neck issues.
  • Postural Strain: Long periods of poor posture, particularly from desk work, can lead to muscular strain and chronic discomfort.

Advanced Non-Surgical Treatment Options

In many cases, neck pain can be successfully treated without surgery. Our personalized, evidence-based approach may include:

  • Physical Therapy: To strengthen the muscles supporting the neck and improve posture.
  • Medications: Anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, or pain relievers.
  • Epidural Steroid Injections: Targeted injections to reduce inflammation around irritated nerves.
  • Trigger Point Injections: For muscular pain relief.
  • Lifestyle Modifications: Ergonomic assessments and exercise programs to prevent future flare-ups.

Dr. Hunter and our team work closely with each patient to develop a customized treatment plan focused on restoring function and relieving pain.

When Surgery Becomes Necessary

If conservative treatments fail to relieve symptoms, particularly if there is significant nerve compression or spinal instability, surgical intervention may be recommended.

Some of the advanced surgical options performed by Dr. Hunter include:

  • Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF): A procedure where a damaged disc is removed, and the vertebrae are fused together to stabilize the spine.
  • Cervical Disc Replacement: An alternative to fusion, preserving motion by replacing the damaged disc with an artificial one.
  • Posterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion: Performed from the back of the neck for extensive nerve or spinal cord compression.
  • Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: Smaller incisions, less tissue disruption, and faster recovery whenever possible.

Dr. Hunter brings over a decade of surgical expertise, combined with a focus on minimally invasive techniques whenever appropriate, to ensure the best outcomes for our patients.

Why Choose Neuroscience and Spine Center of the Carolinas?

At Neuroscience and Spine Center of the Carolinas, we are committed to delivering comprehensive, compassionate, and cutting-edge care. Led by Dr. William Hunter, MD, we combine advanced diagnostics, evidence-based treatments, and patient-centered care to help you move better, feel better, and get back to the activities you love. Neck pain doesn’t have to control your life! Let us help you find the solution that's right for you. Contact us at our Gastonia, NC office to learn more.

Minimally Invasive Surgery- TLIF

Dr. William D. Hunter performs a minimally invasive TLIF L5-S1 fusion in Gastonia, N.C. Watch as the intra-operative procedure is performed.

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TRAnscript:

This video is reviewing the maximum access transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. The MRI here shows the boxes are the bones, between the bones the disk spaces, and the white where the nerves are running. The last disk space is shorter in height, and there’s a herniated disk (the black area) pressing on the area white area where the nerves are. This is the plan for attack to perform a fusion surgery. The patient is in the prone position, properly prepped and draped, and then we make small skin incisions the size of a finger to go ahead and place the screws in place. We dilate the muscles. We’re not stripping any muscles, only dilating the muscles. We’re putting the screws in first. We’re putting two screws in at l5 and also s1, and between the two screws is the disk space that we’re going to attack. We use the monitoring system to make sure that when we’re putting the screws in that we’re in the safe zone. Because we’re using the small skin incisions, we use the C arm, the x-ray machine, as well as the monitoring system to make sure we’re safe. Green means we’re safe, and we’re going to go ahead and proceed in placing the screws in the area of where they should be within the vertebral bodies going through the pedicles. So there are pedicle screws being placed. Once the screws are placed - we have two screws in place (one at l5 and one at S1) - we then go ahead and we’re going to take the disc out between the two screws. Once we have the screws in place, we place the retractor and make a skin incision between the two screws, and now we have basically the size of two fingers to put attack the disk space. You can see here drilling down this is exactly what I see in the operating room. Between my drill right there you can see the two screws that are on either side. We drill down the bone. We’re getting down to where the disk space is. The disk space is covered by bone, so we remove the bone, and we’re going to go attack between the two screws where the disk space is. We’re now opening up the space for the nerves to run through. We identify the nerves, and we go ahead and take the disc out that’s causing the pressure. We remove the herniated disc and we’re taking the rest of the disc out. Once we take the rest of the disc out, you can see we have an instrument inside the disc space. Now, the disc space has been removed, and now we have to size up the disc space. We go ahead and put trials in so we can use the correct size, and we can jack that disk space up, which allows the nerves to have more room to run through. Here, we’re tapping in the trial to make sure that we’re all in the correct space and size. We then use the actual graft itself, and we place the graft inside that space. Then once we do that, we go ahead and put the rod between the two screws, torque it, and then we go ahead and remove the retractor system. We close the area up, and we’ve performed our procedure within a matter of minutes, we’ve now performed our fusion. You can see that there are the screws there. The top screw is the l5 screw, and the bottom screw is the s1 screw. There’s the l5, and s1. Between the screws of the rod is the rod, and inside that disk space it’s been jacked up, and we now have a graft inside the disk space, and you can see the hash marks show on the back and the front. That’s the procedure in performing our mass TLIF.