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Spinal Stenosis
Peak Spine & Sports Medicine treats spinal stenosis with opioid-free spine care in Marlton and Collingswood, NJ. Call (833) 377-7325 to schedule your consultation today.

Spinal Stenosis in Marlton and Collingswood, NJ

When spinal narrowing irritates or compresses nerves, daily activities such as standing, walking, sitting, driving, sleeping, working, exercising, or traveling may become difficult. Spinal stenosis can cause pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, or heaviness in the back, neck, arms, or legs.

At Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, we assess whether spinal stenosis is contributing to your symptoms and identify appropriate non-opioid treatment options. Some patients have mild narrowing on imaging without significant pain, while others experience symptoms that limit walking, standing, working, or activity. We conduct a thorough evaluation to connect imaging, symptoms, exam findings, and daily limitations before recommending a treatment plan.

We provide opioid-free, interventional pain care with a focus on education, outcomes, and quality of life. Dr. Milind Patel, Dr. Jill Kalariya, Brian Brown, PA, and our team deliver care through a concierge model designed to ensure clarity, organization, and a personalized experience.

To schedule a spinal stenosis consultation in Marlton or Collingswood, NJ, call Peak Spine & Sports Medicine at (833) 377-7325 or request an appointment online today. Telehealth consults are available for convenience when appropriate. We proudly serve patients in Marlton, Haddonfield, Collingswood, Cherry Hill, Medford, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, Philadelphia, and surrounding communities.

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What Is Spinal Stenosis?

Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spaces of the spine.

The spinal canal protects the spinal cord and nerve roots. Smaller openings along the spine allow nerves to exit and travel into the arms, hands, buttocks, hips, legs, and feet. As these spaces narrow, nerves may become irritated, inflamed, or compressed.

  • Cervical spinal stenosis affects the neck.
  • Lumbar spinal stenosis affects the lower back.
  • Thoracic spinal stenosis affects the mid-back, though this is less common.
  • Spinal stenosis may affect the neck, mid-back, or low back.

Spinal stenosis may develop gradually over time due to arthritis, disc degeneration, thickened ligaments, bone spurs, disc bulges, or additional age-related changes. Some patients are born with a narrower spinal canal, which can make symptoms appear earlier or become more noticeable when degeneration develops.

The most important question is whether the stenosis seen on imaging corresponds to the patient’s symptoms. Some patients have spinal narrowing free of significant pain, while others have nerve-related symptoms that strongly fit the MRI findings.

Spinal stenosis can feel different depending on where the narrowing occurs and which nerves are affected.

  • Lumbar spinal stenosis may cause low back pain, buttock pain, hip pain, leg pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, heaviness, or cramping in the legs. Many patients feel worse when standing or walking and better when sitting, leaning forward, or resting. Some patients notice they can walk farther when leaning on a shopping cart because that position slightly opens the spinal canal.
  • Cervical spinal stenosis may cause neck pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, numbness, tingling, hand weakness, changes in grip strength, balance problems, or coordination changes.

Symptoms may include:

  • Lower back pain
  • Neck pain
  • Pain that travels into the buttock, hip, or leg
  • Pain that travels into the shoulder, arm, or hand
  • Numbness or tingling
  • Leg heaviness or fatigue
  • Cramping with walking
  • Weakness
  • Difficulty walking long distances
  • Balance problems
  • Difficulty standing upright for long periods
  • Symptoms that worsen with standing or walking
  • Hand clumsiness or grip changes in cervical stenosis
  • Symptoms that improve with sitting or bending forward
  • Difficulty working, driving, sleeping, exercising, traveling, or completing daily routines

Some symptoms need urgent medical attention, including loss of bowel or bladder control, numbness in the groin or saddle area, severe or progressive weakness, difficulty walking, worsening balance problems, fever with severe spine pain, or pain after major trauma.

Spinal stenosis often develops as part of wear-related change in the spine.

Over time, discs may lose height, joints may become arthritic, ligaments may thicken, and bone spurs may form. These changes can reduce the amount of space available for the spinal cord or nerve roots.

Spinal stenosis may be related to:

  • Arthritis in the spine
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Herniated or bulging discs
  • Thickened ligaments
  • Bone spurs
  • Facet joint enlargement
  • Spondylolisthesis
  • Prior spine injury
  • Prior spine surgery
  • Congenitally narrow spinal canal
  • Osteoarthritis

Spinal stenosis can also overlap with other pain sources. A patient may have nerve compression along with facet joint pain, SI joint dysfunction, muscle guarding, neuropathy, hip arthritis, or disc-related pain. The treatment plan should be based on the full pain pattern rather than the imaging report alone.

Lumbar spinal stenosis occurs in the lower back.

This is one of the most common forms of spinal stenosis. It may affect the nerves that travel into the buttocks, hips, legs, and feet. Patients may have lower back pain, sciatica-like symptoms, leg heaviness, numbness, tingling, weakness, or cramping with walking.

One of the classic signs of lumbar spinal stenosis is neurogenic claudication. This is nerve-related pain, numbness, or heaviness in the legs that typically gets worse with standing or walking and improves when patients sit down or lean forward. Many patients mention having to stop and rest during walks, feeling relief when they bend forward, or noticing it’s easier to shop if they’re pushing a cart.

Lumbar spinal stenosis may be caused by disc degeneration, arthritis, thickened ligamentum flavum, bone spurs, disc bulging, or slippage of one vertebra over another.

Cervical spinal stenosis occurs in the neck.

This type of stenosis can affect the spinal cord or the nerves that travel into the shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers. Some patients have neck pain and arm symptoms. Others develop numbness, tingling, weakness, hand clumsiness, grip changes, balance problems, or difficulty with coordination.

Cervical stenosis can become more concerning when the spinal cord is compressed. This may cause symptoms of cervical myelopathy, such as worsening balance, trouble with fine motor tasks, weakness, or changes in walking.

Patients with progressive weakness, balance changes, hand clumsiness, or bowel or bladder changes should be evaluated promptly.

  • Central canal stenosis means the main spinal canal has narrowed. This can affect the spinal cord in the neck or the bundle of nerves in the lower back.
  • Foraminal stenosis means the nerve opening on the side of the spine has narrowed. This can irritate the nerve as it exits the spine and may cause symptoms that travel into the arm or leg.
  • Lateral recess stenosis means that narrowing occurs in the side area of the spinal canal where a nerve root travels before exiting. This may also contribute to radiating nerve pain.

Knowing the type and location of stenosis helps guide treatment. A patient with central canal stenosis and neurogenic claudication may need a different approach than someone with foraminal stenosis causing pain along one nerve pathway.

Diagnosis begins with a careful, unhurried conversation and physical exam.

The Peak Spine & Sports Medicine team asks where symptoms occur, whether pain travels, what makes symptoms worse, what improves them, how far the patient can walk, how long they can stand, what treatments have already been tried, and what the pain is preventing them from doing.

The exam may include checking strength, sensation, reflexes, balance, walking pattern, spine movement, posture, and signs of nerve irritation.

Imaging may be recommended when appropriate. MRI is often helpful because it can show the spinal canal, nerve roots, discs, ligaments, and soft tissues. X-rays may show arthritis, alignment, instability, disc space narrowing, or spondylolisthesis. CT scans may be used in select cases, especially when bone detail is important.

The key is connecting the findings. Spinal stenosis is common on imaging, especially with age, but treatment should focus on the narrowing that corresponds to the symptoms and functional limitations.

Why Choose Peak Spine & Sports Medicine for Spinal Stenosis?

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine was built around a simple standard: this should be the kind of pain management practice we would want our own family members to visit.

Initial consultations are designed to be thorough, personal, and highly focused. The team takes time to understand the source of symptoms, how they affect daily life, what has already been tried, and which activities the patient needs to return to.

For one patient, the priority may be walking farther without leg heaviness. For another, it may be standing long enough to cook, traveling through an airport, driving comfortably, golfing, exercising, sleeping better, lifting a child or grandchild, or returning to work with fewer pain interruptions.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine offers:

  • Concierge, white-glove pain management care
  • A non-opioid approach to pain care
  • Ivy-League-trained professionals
  • Double board-certified pain management physicians
  • Cutting-edge interventional techniques and technology
  • Advanced spine and stenosis evaluation
  • Image-guided spine procedures
  • MILD Procedure evaluation for appropriate lumbar stenosis candidates
  • Epidural Steroid Injection evaluation when nerve inflammation is involved
  • Nerve Root / Selective Nerve Block evaluation when a specific nerve root is suspected
  • Spinal Cord Stimulation evaluation for selected chronic pain patterns
  • Telehealth consults when appropriate
  • A helpful staff that works to reduce the burden on patients
  • Insurance access for eligible PPO/POS patients with out-of-network benefits

Care is led by Dr. Milind Patel and Dr. Jill Kalariya, double board-certified pain management physicians who perform advanced interventional procedures in the outpatient surgery center. Brian Brown, PA supports patients through conservative care, diagnostic workups, imaging coordination, therapy recommendations, and follow-up planning, helping each patient receive care with clarity.

Spinal stenosis care requires careful diagnosis and realistic planning. At Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, the team evaluates the full pain pattern, imaging findings, neurologic symptoms, walking tolerance, movement limits, prior treatments, and patient goals before recommending injections, nerve blocks, minimally invasive decompression, neuromodulation, therapy referral, surgical referral, or another treatment option.

Our practice is selective with insurance because the model is built around quality, not volume. We work for the patient, not the insurance company. That gives the team more time to listen, explain, coordinate care, and work for the patient rather than designing the visit around an insurance company’s schedule.

Visit our Why Choose Us page to learn more.

How Is Spinal Stenosis Treated?

Treatment depends on the location of the stenosis, the severity of the narrowing, symptoms, imaging findings, neurologic exam, prior treatment response, overall health, and goals.

Some patients begin with conservative care. This may include activity modification, physical therapy referral, home exercises, posture changes, strengthening, mobility work, and non-opioid medication coordination when appropriate.

When symptoms continue or nerve irritation becomes limiting, interventional treatments may be considered.

Treatment options may include:

  • Physical therapy referral
  • Activity modification
  • Home exercise guidance
  • Medication coordination without opioids when appropriate
  • Epidural Steroid Injections
  • Nerve Root / Selective Nerve Blocks
  • MILD Procedure for selected lumbar spinal stenosis patients
  • Facet Joint Injections when facet pain is also involved
  • Medial Branch Blocks
  • Radiofrequency Ablation
  • Trigger Point Injections when muscle guarding contributes to pain
  • Spinal Cord Stimulation in selected chronic pain cases
  • Surgical evaluation when symptoms, imaging, or neurologic findings suggest it is needed

The right plan depends on what is causing the symptoms now. A patient with neurogenic claudication from lumbar stenosis may need a different approach than a patient with cervical nerve root irritation, facet joint arthritis, or chronic pain after prior spine surgery.

Epidural Steroid Injections for Spinal Stenosis

Epidural steroid injections may be considered when spinal stenosis causes inflammation or irritation around a spinal nerve.

As the spinal canal or nerve openings narrow, nerves may become inflamed and painful. This can cause pain that travels from the lower back into the buttocks, hip, or leg, or from the neck into the shoulder, arm, or hand.

An epidural steroid injection places anti-inflammatory medication near the irritated nerve pathway using imaging guidance. This may help reduce radiating pain and make movement, therapy, strengthening, work, sleep, or daily activities more manageable.

For some patients, the injection helps reduce symptoms enough to allow them to participate more comfortably in a broader non-surgical plan. For others, the response helps clarify the extent to which nerve inflammation contributes to the pain pattern.

Nerve Root / Selective Nerve Blocks for Spinal Stenosis

Nerve root or selective nerve blocks may be used when stenosis appears to irritate a specific spinal nerve root.

This can be helpful when pain follows a defined pathway into the arm or leg. The injection is placed near the suspected nerve root with imaging guidance. A meaningful response may provide relief and help confirm which nerve is contributing to the symptoms.

Selective nerve root blocks may be especially useful when imaging shows narrowing at multiple levels, and the physician needs to better understand which nerve is driving the pain.

MILD Procedure for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

The MILD Procedure may be considered for selected patients with lumbar spinal stenosis and neurogenic claudication.

MILD stands for Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression. It may be appropriate when part of the narrowing is caused by thickening of the ligamentum flavum, a ligament inside the spinal canal. Through a small access point, the physician removes small amounts of thickened tissue to help create more space in the spinal canal.

This procedure is not the same as open spine surgery. It does not involve implants, fusion, or a large incision. It is designed for carefully selected patients with lumbar stenosis whose symptoms and imaging meet the criteria for the procedure.

At Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, MILD Procedure evaluation is based on symptoms, MRI findings, walking tolerance, medical history, prior treatment response, and patient goals.

Facet Joint Injections, Medial Branch Blocks, and Radiofrequency Ablation

Spinal stenosis often develops alongside arthritis and degenerative changes in the spine.

Facet joints are small joints in the back of the spine. They can become painful as the spine degenerates, especially when disc height changes, arthritis progresses, or posture and movement become altered.

  • Facet joint injections may help when pain appears to come from inflamed facet joints.
  • Medial branch blocks can help determine whether the small nerves that carry pain signals from the facet joints are involved.
  • If medial branch blocks provide strong but temporary relief, radiofrequency ablation may be discussed for longer-lasting improvement.

These treatments do not open the spinal canal. They may help when facet-related pain is part of the overall spinal stenosis pain pattern.

Trigger Point Injections for Muscle Guarding

Spinal stenosis can lead to muscle guarding.

When walking, standing, or spinal movement causes pain, nearby muscles may tighten to protect the area. Over time, that guarding can contribute to knots, spasms, stiffness, aching pain, and limited movement.

Trigger point injections may help calm painful muscle areas and allow patients to move, stretch, strengthen, or participate in therapy more comfortably. They may be considered when muscle pain is contributing to the larger stenosis-related pain pattern.

Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Spinal Stenosis Pain

Spinal Cord Stimulation may be considered for selected patients with chronic spine or nerve pain that has not improved enough with conservative care, injections, decompression procedures, or prior surgery.

Spinal Cord Stimulation uses a miniature implanted device to send controlled electrical impulses near the spinal cord. These signals can change how pain signals are processed before they reach the brain.

This option may be considered for chronic neuropathic pain, persistent leg pain, pain after spine surgery, or other complex spine-related pain patterns. It usually begins with a temporary trial before a permanent implant is discussed.

Spinal Cord Stimulation does not physically widen the spinal canal, and it may help selected patients manage chronic nerve-related pain when other options have not provided enough relief or when additional surgery is not the right next step.

When Is Surgery Needed for Spinal Stenosis?

Many patients with spinal stenosis can begin with non-surgical care.

Surgical evaluation may be appropriate when symptoms remain severe despite appropriate treatment, when walking or standing becomes significantly limited, when imaging shows severe compression, or when neurologic symptoms are worsening.

Urgent evaluation may be needed for progressive weakness, difficulty walking, loss of bowel or bladder control, saddle numbness, worsening balance problems, hand clumsiness from cervical stenosis, fever with severe spine pain, or symptoms after major trauma.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine helps patients understand when interventional pain care is reasonable and when a spine surgeon should be involved.

Some patients feel better when inflammation decreases, nerve irritation settles, strength improves, posture changes, or the primary pain generator is treated. Others may need procedures designed to reduce inflammation, target a specific nerve, treat overlapping facet pain, or create more space in the lumbar spinal canal.

For many patients, progress is measured by how they are able to function in their daily lives. That may mean walking farther, standing longer, sleeping better, traveling more comfortably, exercising with less limitation, or getting through the day with fewer symptoms.

The cost of spinal stenosis treatment depends on the evaluation, imaging needs, treatment plan, procedure recommended, facility, insurance benefits, and medical necessity requirements.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine primarily works with patients who have PPO or POS insurance plans with out-of-network benefits. The practice is out of network for most insurance plans, which allows the team to maintain a smaller, more personalized model with longer visits, tailored treatment plans, more education, and less pressure to rush patients through care.

Many patients are surprised to learn that out-of-network care with PPO/POS plan benefits are typically much more accessible than they expected. The Peak Spine & Sports Medicine team can help review benefits, explain the process, and determine whether the practice is a good fit.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine does not participate with EPO, HMO, Medicare, or Medicaid plans. This allows our office to see our new and existing patients quickly.

Patients visit Peak Spine & Sports Medicine in Marlton and Collingswood from Cherry Hill, Medford, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, Philadelphia, and surrounding areas because they want high-level interventional spine care without an opioid-first approach.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine does not use opioids as a shortcut for pain care.

Our practice focuses on interventional procedures because many pain problems involve specific structures or pathways. Spinal stenosis may involve irritated nerve roots, inflammation, thickened ligaments, facet joint arthritis, disc degeneration, muscle guarding, or chronic nerve-related pain. These problems often need targeted care rather than long-term reliance on medication that circulates through the whole body.

Interventional pain management is designed to identify the source or pathway of pain and treat it more directly. For the right patient, spinal stenosis care may include injections, nerve blocks, minimally invasive decompression, therapy coordination, neuromodulation, or another non-opioid strategy that supports improved function and quality of life.

Schedule a Spinal Stenosis Consultation in Marlton or Collingswood, NJ

For spinal stenosis care in Marlton and Collingswood, NJ, contact Peak Spine & Sports Medicine at (833) 377-7325 or schedule a consultation online today. Our team will help determine whether the pain pattern, goals, and insurance benefits make our concierge interventional pain model the right fit. We proudly serve patients in Marlton, Haddonfield, Collingswood, Cherry Hill, Medford, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, Philadelphia, and surrounding communities.

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Spinal Stenosis Marlton, NJ – FAQs

Neurogenic claudication is a common symptom pattern of lumbar spinal stenosis. It often causes leg pain, heaviness, cramping, numbness, or weakness that worsens with standing or walking and improves with sitting or bending forward.

Spinal stenosis may be caused by arthritis, degenerative disc disease, bulging discs, thickened ligaments, bone spurs, facet joint enlargement, spondylolisthesis, prior injury, prior surgery, or a naturally narrow spinal canal.

Yes. Lumbar spinal stenosis can irritate nerve roots and cause symptoms similar to sciatica, including pain, burning, numbness, tingling, or weakness traveling into the buttock, hip, leg, or foot.

Yes. Cervical spinal stenosis or foraminal stenosis in the neck can irritate nerves that travel into the shoulder, arm, hand, or fingers.

Diagnosis usually includes a symptom review, physical exam, neurologic testing, and imaging when appropriate. MRI is often used to evaluate the spinal canal, nerves, discs, ligaments, and areas of narrowing.

The best treatment depends on the location and severity of narrowing, symptoms, imaging findings, neurologic exam, prior treatment response, and goals. Options may include therapy referral, epidural steroid injections, nerve root blocks, MILD Procedure, radiofrequency ablation, spinal cord stimulation, or surgical evaluation when needed.

Epidural steroid injections may help selected patients when spinal stenosis causes inflammation or irritation around a spinal nerve. They may reduce radiating arm or leg pain and help patients move more comfortably.

Nerve root or selective nerve blocks may help when symptoms appear to come from a specific irritated nerve root. They may provide relief and help confirm which nerve is involved.

The MILD Procedure may help selected patients with lumbar spinal stenosis when thickened ligamentum flavum contributes to narrowing and symptoms fit neurogenic claudication. Candidacy depends on symptoms, imaging, medical history, and goals.

No. Spinal stenosis refers to narrowing around the spinal cord or nerve roots. A herniated disc occurs when disc material pushes outward. A herniated or bulging disc can contribute to stenosis in some patients.

No. Degenerative disc disease refers to wear-related changes in the spinal discs. Those disc changes may contribute to spinal stenosis, but they are not the same condition.

No. Many patients begin with non-surgical care. Surgery may be considered when symptoms remain severe, walking becomes significantly limited, imaging shows severe compression, or neurologic symptoms worsen.

Urgent care may be needed for loss of bowel or bladder control, saddle numbness, progressive weakness, difficulty walking, worsening balance problems, hand clumsiness, fever with severe spine pain, or symptoms after major trauma.

Some patients benefit from therapy or strengthening once pain is better controlled. Peak Spine & Sports Medicine does not provide physical therapy in-house, but the team may refer patients to outside physical therapy when mobility, posture, balance, strength, or spinal support is part of the plan.

In many cases, yes. Telehealth consults may be available to help expedite evaluation, review symptoms, discuss prior imaging or treatments, and determine whether an in-person exam or procedure consultation is appropriate.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine accepts insurance and primarily works with PPO and POS plans that have out-of-network benefits. The practice does not participate with EPO, HMO, Medicare, or Medicaid plans. The team can help patients determine whether their benefits may apply.