While I was out walking, I started to feel a slight pain in my thigh. However, if I stopped to rest for a few minutes, the pain would go away. However, as soon as I started walking again, the pain returned. I was able to continue walking at a slower pace, but the results were not very good. The symptoms were getting worse with each passing day.
That was a year and a half ago. I happened to be talking about it during a break in club activities, when one of the members suggested that I might have spinal stenosis. I immediately visited a local orthopedic clinic. They said there seemed to be a problem with my spine, so I had an X-ray, but it didn't really give me a clear answer. I was referred to a local health and medical center, where I underwent a detailed MRI scan. After receiving the data, the doctor diagnosed me with spinal stenosis.
Finally, the treatment began, with no end in sight. It involved taking medication three times a day and undergoing rehabilitation. I started going to the hospital every other day, but then changed to going twice a week. My symptoms gradually improved. Before I knew it, the new year had arrived, and six months had passed since I started going to the hospital. Then, the clinic decided to close in March, and I was transferred to another hospital. Although it was a little farther away, I continued to go to the hospital as diligently as ever.
The spinal stenosis that has been plaguing me is a disease caused by compression of the blood vessels and nerves that run through the spine due to spinal deformity. I experience pain and numbness from my lower back to my calves. I feel fine when I start walking, but as I continue, I feel numbness from my lower back to my feet, my calves get tight, and it becomes difficult to walk. If I bend forward or sit in a chair and rest for a while, the symptoms subside and I am able to walk again.
The treatment aims to improve the nerve and blood flow through the spine, and both medication and rehabilitation have the same goal. The first doctor prescribed a generic drug, but the new doctor recommended a brand-name drug. The doctor said that all medications are supposed to be the same, but for this particular medication, the brand-name drug has an advantage.
In addition to rehabilitation and medication, I was advised to avoid the following postures in my daily life: leaning back, standing for long periods of time, carrying heavy objects, and twisting my waist. Conversely, it seems that a hunched forward posture is good. The doctor didn't seem to have much faith in rehabilitation, and recommended that surgery be the only way to make a complete recovery. However, for some reason, I still don't quite trust that.
Six months have passed since I started going to the new clinic. I've felt so much better that I've stopped the rehabilitation and am now just taking medication. Lately, I've become able to walk long distances with ease. However, my walking speed is slow and I lack strength. I still feel unsteady when I walk. The doctor has dismissed the unsteadiness as a neurological problem. At this point, it's just a matter of mentality, and I just have to try my best on my own.
（Yoshihiro Fujiwara Dec. 29, 2025）
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