Warning Signs Of Spinal Stenosis

Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence can occur with different kinds of spinal stenosis, but it's a particularly common symptom of lumbar stenosis. The same is true of a loss of sexual ability or performance. When individuals have lumbar stenosis, there's not a guarantee they'll develop bladder or bowel dysfunction. However, some patients do experience this alongside the radiating pain from sciatica. Urinary incontinence varies widely from patient to patient. If the incontinence is mild enough, patients might not associate it with their back pain at all. Mild urinary incontinence occurs when there's a lack of bladder control that leads to involuntary leaking. Moderate and serious urinary incontinence typically occurs when the loss of bladder control is serious enough to lead to accidents. Problems with urination have the potential to be embarrassing and affect an individual's day-to-day life. Patients might experience the sudden urge to urinate, need to urinate more times a day than they used to, or experience a need to urinate that's powerful enough that they can't get to a toilet in time.

Read more about the various warning signs of spinal stenosis.