Myelopathy

What is Myelopathy?

Myelopathy is a disorder of the spinal cord or spinal nerves which is often caused by compression or irritation. This condition can also occur after trauma, natural degeneration of the spine or another type of spinal deformity. Ranging in grade, severity and level, myelopathy is commonly caused by conditions such as spinal stenosis.

Myelopathy Symptoms

As the spinal canal becomes narrowed (spinal stenosis), the spinal cord and surrounding nerves often become compressed. This leads to a number of chronic symptoms that can greatly reduce your quality of life, including:

• Shooting pain and weakness
• Radiating numbness into the hands and arms
• Tingling in the hand and arms
• Inability to walk or stand for long periods of time
• Local pain and weakness
• Loss of bowel or bladder control

Myelopathy Diagnosis

Suffering from chronic pain and symptoms caused by myelopathy can prevent you from living your daily life. The first step to finding pain relief and live life in full motions is to reach out to your physician for a diagnosis. Once your condition is officially diagnosed as myelopathy, you and your doctor can work together to create a treatment plan that best fits your needs. Read on to learn more about the treatment options available for myelopathy, including traditional procedures as well as minimally invasive spine surgery.

Treatments for Myelopathy

If conservative measures for myelopathy such as anti-inflammatories, pain medications, muscle relaxants, physical therapy and steroid injections do not succeed, surgical intervention may become necessary. Traditionally, the only solution for patients suffering from myelopathy was to undergo a highly invasive open neck or back procedure in a hospital setting. However, there is a minimally invasive option which is performed through a small incision. If you feel that you have myelopathy, contact our specialists at Spine & Orthopedic Center.