Problems with Your Gait
If you have spinal stenosis, you may experience changes in your manner of walking. The precise way and extent to which it affects your gait will often depend on where the stenosis is located in your spine. Changes in your gait are not immediately noticeable. As the condition progresses, the changes become more obvious. Cervical spinal stenosis which affects the neck usually causes difficulty maintaining balance [4] while walking. This is more pronounced when walking in the dark. Gait imbalance from cervical stenosis happens when there is spinal cord compression. If it only occurs with a pinched nerve, gait imbalance does not occur. Gait change due to stenosis in the lower back (lumbar spinal stenosis) usually happens due to foot drop. The condition is also marked by muscle weakness in the thigh and leg muscles, particularly the calves and quadriceps.