Bone mineral content and bone mass in patients with spinal stenosis.

The bone mineral content in the distal end of the forearm was measured in 45 patients with spinal stenosis. In men, there was a significant increase in bone mineral content but only in the distal end of the forearm, where the measurement included mainly trabecular bone. The cortical bone more proximally in the forearm did not deviate in this respect nor could any differences be found in the small group of women included in the study. The implications are that an increased bone mineral content indicative of a greater than average bone mass may be one factor in the pathogenesis of spinal stenosis.