This condition can be treated with over the counter pain killers and anti-inflammatory medications and exercise and this is likely to be what your medical practitioner will initially suggest.
Exercise
Exercise is a key to alleviating some of the symptoms of spinal stenosis as it keeps the body flexible and can build up strength and tolerance over time. It may be that you will need to do exercises in a slightly different way e.g. bending forward on an exercise bike or when walking, avoiding having a straight back in order to ease pressure on the spine.
Physiotherapy
A course of physiotherapy sessions can be set up to teach suitable forms of exercise and to make sure they are being done in the best position; also these sessions are an opportunity to advise on what sort of activity or exercises they are currently doing that they would need to avoid or modify. After time a patient is then able to perform them alone without the supervision of a physiotherapist.
Medication
Over the counter medicines such as aspirin and ibuprofen can often be adequate enough to deal with the pain and inflammation. If something stronger is required then non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) will be prescribed and will involve monitoring.
For any episodes of severe pain, a short course of an opiate based drug for example Vicodin or Oxycontin can be prescribed or at times a muscle relaxant such as gagabentin which has the effect of desensitizing the nerves can help with pain.
Injections
A temporary option that may be recommended but has varying degrees of success is an injection into the area around the spinal cord. These injections come in two forms – corticosteroids or nerve block. Corticosteroids work like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory tablets; working on the pain and inflammation but are more powerful and delivered directly to the area of pain. Nerve blocks, as they suggest work by directly blocking the pain signals sent by the affected nerves. These injections can only be given a specific number of times and with a gap of a couple of months due to their high strength and possible side effects and generally not prescribed for long term use.
Surgery
If pain is too severe, a patient is having trouble walking or is having problems controlling their bladder then surgery will be offered as a treatment. This can take the form of having spurs, bone or ligaments that are putting pressure on the nerves removed and is called a Laminectomy or spinal fusion which fuses an area of the spine that has the movement that is causing the pain and is sometimes done with a laminectomy.