Walking Without the Wince: How Chiropractic Care Helps Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
If your legs begin burning, prickling, or feeling shaky after a few minutes of walking — but calming down when you lean on a shopping cart or take a seat — this could be a sign of lumbar spinal stenosis. Here's the encouraging part that for most people in La Grande, this common condition improves with conservative, non-surgical care, and Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC is here to help you understand why.
WHAT IS LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS?
Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) occurs when the lower spine's canal becomes narrowed, compressing the nerves that extend into the hips and legs. It's one of the leading reasons aging patients end up scheduled for back surgery, but it doesn't have to end there. The classic sign is neurogenic claudication: pain, cramping, or numbness in the legs that worsens with standing or walking 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 their only path forward — but the evidence tells a different story. Those who come to Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC 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 combined with a tailored exercise plan experienced notable improvement in walking capacity and reduced symptoms, with the greatest gains seen in more active participants. (1) A companion 2026 systematic review verified that spinal manipulative therapy works about as well as other first-line treatments in older adults with chronic spinal conditions, confirming it as a sound choice even for patients dealing with several health issues at once. (2) Adding to this research, a recently launched non-operative, non-pharmacological LSS clinic at a VA facility shows that organized, non-surgical treatment works well and holds up over time within a real-world healthcare system. (3)
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR La Grande PATIENTS
At Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC, we use hands-on spinal manipulation, individualized exercise, and evidence-based guidance to help you stay active and reduce your pain — without jumping straight to surgery or depending solely on medication. If leg pain is slowing you down, let's talk about a treatment plan grounded in what the evidence shows truly helps.
CONTACT Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Kurt Olding on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates what spinal stenosis is and the improvement possible for lumbar spine stenosis with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
