The Bonati Institute Glossary: Foraminal Narrowing

The mission of The Bonati Institute is to provide hope to people suffering with chronic pain from a back or neck condition. We believe that a well-informed patient is vital to restoring hope and finding answers to pain. We developed this web site primarily to help educate pain sufferers and their families. We’ve found that the more individuals in pain learn about their anatomy, their condition and the options available to them the more likely they will be to choose the advanced arthroscopic procedures offered by The Bonati Institute.

Foraminal Narrowing

Foraminal narrowing or stenosis may arise without any disc herniation. The majority of symptoms are usually caused by one nerve root on one side.

Typically, the condition is characterized by the following:

• The pain develops slowly
• The pain may develop over many years
• The pain is not continuous
• The pain is related to an activity or position

Unlike many other back or neck conditions, most conservative treatments for foraminal stenosis, such as pain medications, are unlikely to be of much benefit. Most often, patients choose either activity modification or back surgery to relieve pressure in the nerve root from foraminal stenosis.