Spinal stenosis · Olathe, Kansas
Nonsurgical Treatment for Spinal Stenosis
Not every stenosis needs surgery. Find out whether yours can be treated without it.
Some patients with spinal stenosis are appropriate for nonsurgical treatment and some are not. The evaluation is where we tell you honestly which you are.
- For leg heaviness, cramping or pain that comes on with walking or standing
- Nonsurgical, seated treatment for appropriate patients
- A straight answer on candidacy at the first visit
- Your first visit is free, and includes your first treatment
Or call or text (913) 355-5998
- Dr. Matt Metcalf, DC
- 20+ years
- 65,000+ treatment visits supervised
- 5.0 on Google
Sound familiar?
Does this sound like your spinal stenosis?
The distance you can walk becomes the measure of the condition. Errands are planned around places to sit. Standing to cook or at an event becomes difficult. Many people become far less active than they want to be, and the loss of conditioning makes everything harder.
- You can walk a certain distance and then have to sit
- Leaning on a shopping cart feels better than walking upright
- Standing to cook or at an event is hard
- An MRI report that says stenosis or narrowing
- You have been told surgery is the only option and want a second opinion
Common symptoms of spinal stenosis
- Aching, heaviness or cramping in the legs that comes on with walking and eases when you sit or lean forward
- Low back pain that is worse standing and better sitting
- Numbness or tingling in the legs or feet
- A shrinking walking distance before you need to stop
- In the neck: arm symptoms, clumsy hands or changes in balance
If two or more of these are true, a free first visit is the logical next step. It is the only way to know what is contributing to your symptoms and whether nonsurgical treatment is appropriate.
What spinal stenosis is
What spinal stenosis is, and why it keeps coming back
With age, discs lose height, the joints at the back of the spine enlarge and the ligaments thicken. Each of those takes a little space from the canal or the openings the nerves pass through. When enough space is lost, the nerves are crowded — especially when you stand upright or walk, which narrows the canal further. Bending forward opens it slightly, which is why a shopping cart or a bicycle feels better than walking.
Between each pair of vertebrae sits a disc. When it's healthy, it's tall and full of fluid, and it holds open the space where a nerve leaves your spine.
Years of sitting, lifting and gravity compress it. It loses water and height, that space narrows, and the nerve gets crowded. That's what sends pain, numbness and tingling down a leg or an arm.
It doesn't fix itself, because discs have no blood supply. They depend on pressure changing as you move — and a compressed disc isn't getting that.
How spinal decompression treats it
Non-surgical spinal decompression gently separates the vertebrae, taking pressure off the disc and giving the nerve room. Repeated over a course of care, that's what gives symptoms a chance to settle.
Spinal Stenosis treatment options
Most of the usual approaches manage the symptom. Fewer address the load on the disc.
None of these are wrong, and some of them may be part of your care. The question the evaluation answers is whether something is still loading the disc or the nerve — and whether that is something we can change.
Nonsurgical treatment options for spinal stenosis
- A walking and flexion-based exercise program
- Physical therapy focused on posture, hip strength and endurance
- Medication or epidural steroid injections, prescribed by a physician
- Non-surgical spinal decompression for appropriate patients — typically those whose narrowing is driven in part by disc height and whose symptoms are positional
- Surgical consultation when walking distance is severely limited, weakness is present, or nonsurgical care has not helped
| Usual approach | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rest and ice | Reduces inflammation for a while. Does not change what is loading the disc. |
| Pain medication | Blocks the pain signal. Useful; does not address the source. |
| Injections | Reduces inflammation around the nerve, often temporarily. |
| Physical therapy | Strengthens the muscles that support the spine — valuable, and sometimes not enough on its own when a disc is the driver. |
| Surgery | Removes or fuses tissue. Sometimes necessary. A large step to take before nonsurgical options have been properly evaluated. |
Our approach
Evaluate first. Then treat, measure and adapt.
We focus on nonsurgical treatment for appropriate spine, disc and nerve conditions. Treatment begins with an evaluation so we can determine whether our approach is appropriate for your condition.
- 01
Evaluate
Determine what may be contributing to your symptoms.
- 02
Treat
Begin appropriate nonsurgical treatment if you are a candidate.
- 03
Measure
Track your response to treatment.
- 04
Adapt
Change the plan based on how you respond.
Why evaluation matters for spinal stenosis
Stenosis is a range. Mild narrowing with occasional symptoms behaves very differently from severe narrowing with constant leg symptoms or weakness. Some patients do well with nonsurgical care; some are better served by a surgical consultation. An honest evaluation — how far you can walk, what the examination shows, what the imaging shows — is how we tell you which group you are in.
How we evaluate spinal stenosis
We measure the things stenosis changes — walking tolerance, standing tolerance, strength, reflexes, sensation and balance — and read your imaging with those numbers in front of us. If your narrowing is one that our approach may help, we explain what we would expect and how we would know within a defined period whether it is working. If it is not, we say so and help you find the right consultation.
When additional medical evaluation is necessary. Stenosis with progressive weakness, falls, clumsy hands, or any bowel or bladder change needs prompt medical evaluation. Severe cervical stenosis with cord symptoms is not treated at this clinic.
What a spinal decompression visit is like
Non-surgical, with no injections and no incisions. You are seated and reclined, not face-down and not in a harness. Treatment can be directed at the low back or the neck, the settings are set for you, and each visit is built around you. Whether it is appropriate for you is decided at your first visit.
Honest about who it's for
It is not for everyone, and no one can promise you an outcome before examining you. For the right patient it takes the load off a painful disc without surgery, and we measure your response rather than assume it. The free first visit is how we find out whether you are that patient.
Honest about fit
Who this is for, and who it isn't for
Spinal decompression is not for everyone, and we would rather tell you that before you come in.
It is often right for
- Bulging or herniated discs in the lower back
- Cervical disc herniation
- Sciatica, or pain that runs down a leg
- Neck pain that travels into the shoulder, arm or hand
- Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
- Grip weakness
- Headaches from neck tension
- Pinched nerves
- Degenerative disc disease
- Spinal stenosis with positional leg symptoms
- Facet pain
- Pain after back or neck surgery, including a fusion once the recovery period has passed
- Pain that hasn't responded to the usual care
It is usually not right for
- Spinal fractures
- Severe osteoporosis
- Tumors or infection
- Spinal instability or cord-level symptoms
- Some conditions we screen for at your first visit
The first visit is where we find out which list you're on. If you've had a fusion or have hardware, we check how long ago and clear it with you at the first visit.
The first step
Start with a free first visit.
Free
Your first visit at Back-Trac Spinal Decompression is free. It includes a one-on-one consultation with Dr. Metcalf, a review of your MRI or X-rays if you have them, an exam, and your first spinal decompression treatment the same day. You'll leave knowing whether you're a candidate.
Schedule my free consultationWe text you within a minute to set your free first visit, any hour. If you don't check the text box, we call you back.
What your free first visit includes
- A one-on-one consultation with Dr. Metcalf
- A review of your MRI or X-rays, if you have them
- An exam, with a measured baseline
- Your first spinal decompression treatment, the same day
- A straight answer on whether you're a candidate
- If you are, a plan for what comes next
No obligation. New patients only. Some insurance plans are excluded by law.
What you'll learn
What you walk out knowing
1What is actually contributing to your symptoms
Not a guess from a report: findings from an exam, read alongside your imaging.
2Whether you are a candidate
A straight answer at the first visit. If you are not, we tell you and point you to the right care.
3How your body responds
Your first spinal decompression treatment happens the same day, and we record your response.
4What comes next
If you are a candidate, a plan, before you decide anything.
Patient reviews
From patients who came in with the same thing.
Every review is a verified Google review of this clinic, quoted as written.
“Moving so much easier these days, and the lower back pain that used to slow me down is way down too. Sessions fit into my schedule without any hassle, and the staff there are great.”
Lindsey S.Verified Google review
“Standing for long stretches used to wear on my lower back, not anymore. … Big change from where I started.”
Roman P.Verified Google review
“Walking's a lot easier now than it was before. Went in for lower back pain … the sessions themselves made the difference.”
Jim M.Verified Google review
FAQ
Questions about spinal stenosis
Do you treat spinal stenosis?
What happens at my free first visit?
Is the first visit really free?
What happens after the free visit?
Will insurance cover this?
How do I set my first visit?
How does spinal decompression work?
Free first visit · New patients only
Schedule your free consultation and treatment
Your first visit is free: sit down with Dr. Metcalf, go over your MRI or X-rays, get your questions answered, and start spinal decompression treatment the same day.
Dr. Matt Metcalf, D.C.
1011 E 151st St
Olathe, KS 66062
By appointment
Your free first visit includes:
- A one-on-one consultation with Dr. Metcalf
- A review of your imaging
- An exam
- Your first treatment, the same day
Prefer to talk? Call or text (913) 355-5998.
Related conditions
Find out whether we can help with your spinal stenosis.
Back-Trac Spinal Decompression · 1011 E 151st St, Olathe, KS
Or call or text (913) 355-5998