Jim Calhoun Leave of Absence: What is Spinal Stenosis?

Jim Calhoun Is Taking a Leave of Absence From UConn. Here is the Full Statement From the Team. Also, Just What Is Spinal Stenosis?

UConn men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun will take a leave of absence due to health issues. On February 3, 2012, the team released a statement stating that Calhoun will be away from the team to deal with spinal stenosis.

Here is the statement from the team:

"University of Connecticut men’s  basketball coach Jim Calhoun will take an indefinite  medical leave of absence, effective immediately, to deal with worsening  spinal stenosis, a lower back condition that causes  him severe pain and hampers mobility.

Calhoun will not coach Saturday’s game against Seton Hall nor Monday’s game at Louisville and his condition will be evaluated on a daily basis as options for treatment are explored. Associate head coach George Blaney will be in charge of the team in Calhoun’s absence.

According to Dr. Peter Schulman of the UConn Health Center, Calhoun’s primary health care physician, stenosis is a condition that the UConn coach has been coping with for the last few months.

“Last summer, Jim had some significant back pain and has seen two excellent back specialists,” Schulman said. “The initial approach recommended to him was stretching, physical therapy and exercise, and that was successful for several months. It turns out that there is some degenerative problem in the lumbar vertebrae and it’s impinging on the nerves. It has led to significant back pain and some symptoms in his lower extremities.

“Jim has been able to manage it with the physical therapy and stretching, but over the last several days, things have become worse and he is not able to deal with this on a day to day basis, so other options need to be considered.   Right now, he is physically unable to coach.”

What is spinal stenosis?

According to this site, spinal stenosis is a "narrowing of the spinal column that causes pressure on the spinal cord, or narrowing of the openings (called neural foramina) where spinal nerves leave the spinal column."