Walking Without the Wince: How Chiropractic Care Helps Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

If your legs and feet start aching, tingling, or feeling shaky after just a short while of walking — but calming down when you lean on a grocery cart or take a seat — this could be a sign of lumbar spinal stenosis. Here's the encouraging part that for most people in Nashua, this common condition responds well to conservative, non-surgical care, and Moriarty Chiropractic is here to help you understand why.

WHAT IS LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS?

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) happens when the spaces within the lower spine narrow, putting pressure on the nerves that travel down into the hips and legs. It's a top cause aging patients are referred for back surgery, but it isn't always the outcome. The hallmark symptom is neurogenic claudication: pain, cramping, or numbness in the legs that gets worse when being on your feet and improves with sitting or forward bending. Because LSS tends to develop gradually with age-related changes in the spine, it's easy to assume surgery is the only option — but research increasingly points the other way. Those who come to Moriarty Chiropractic soon realize it’s not the only path.

WHAT THE RESEARCH SHOWS

A 2025 secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial showed that older adults with symptomatic LSS who received manual therapy paired with an individualized exercise program experienced notable improvement in how far they could walk and symptom relief, with the greatest gains seen in more active participants. (1) A companion 2026 systematic review verified that spinal manipulative therapy produces outcomes comparable to other frontline options in older adults with chronic spinal conditions, reinforcing it as a sound choice even for patients managing multiple health concerns. (2) Adding to this research, a recently launched non-operative, non-pharmacological LSS clinic at a VA Medical Center shows that structured conservative care can be delivered effectively and sustainably within a real-world healthcare system. (3)

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR Nashua PATIENTS

At Moriarty Chiropractic, we use manual spinal adjustments, individualized exercise, and evidence-based guidance to help you move, walk, and live with less pain — without jumping straight to surgery or depending solely on medication. If leg pain is slowing you down, reach out and let's discuss a treatment plan grounded in what the evidence shows truly helps.

CONTACT Moriarty Chiropractic

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Kurt Olding on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes what spinal stenosis is and the improvement possible for lumbar spine stenosis with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.

Make your Nashua chiropractic appointment soon.