Your curiosity to know about spinal cord compression is right but before that we need to know our spinal cord. The human spinal cord is the controlling part of the central nerve that lies beneath the thick vertebrae. This is of course from a safety point of view as an injury to the spinal cord can lead to paralysis. From the disc level, the spinal cord is connected to nerve roots that transmit sensation and motor activity throughout the body.
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| What You Should Know About Spinal Cord Compression? |
There are a total of 24 vertebrae, which are divided according to the area they support, such as the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum and coccyx. There is now a small soft disc between any two vertebrae. From the disc level, the spinal cord is connected to nerve roots that transmit sensation and motor activity throughout the body.
Now that we know the anatomical structure of the spinal cord, let us move on to understand spinal cord compression. Due to being in such a closed space, there is a risk of following things in the spinal cord –
- Injury Due to Trauma
- Degenerative Disc Pathologies
- Degenerative Bone Diseases Such as Spondylolysis Cause Narrowing of The Spinal Cord or Nerve Root
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Abnormal Spine Alignment Like in Scoliosis
- Tumor
- Growing Old
- Infection Like Meningitis
As mentioned above, the symptoms of the disease will be based on the place from where they are originating:
- Tingling
- Weakness
- Even paralysis
- Numbness
- Thinning / atrophy
- Pain with burning
- Back stiffness
- Decreased sexual ability
- Loss of sensation
- Twitch
- Loss of coordination
- Foot drop (limping)
All these symptoms can appear immediately or gradually depending on the cause. Sometimes the end of the spinal cord becomes compressed, causing Cauda EQUINA Syndrome which is a medical emergency:
- Losing control of the bowel and bladder
- Pain or extreme weakness in one or both legs that makes lifting difficult
- Numbness in inner thigh and leg
Spinal Cord Compression to Identify
- Inquiry – to know the symptoms
- Physical examination
- loss of sensation
- weakness
- Reflex test to find the level of abnormality
- X-rays to look for alignment disorders or bone growth or osteophytes
- CT/MRI to confirm the identity
- bone scan
- Myelogram after injecting dye into the spinal column
- electromyograph to test muscle activity
- Nerve conduction velocity to test nerve sensation
Spinal Cord Compression Treatment:
A team of doctors looks at spinal cord compression of the spine by:
- Neurologist and neurosurgeon
- Spine Specialist
- orthopedition
- physiotherapist
- rheumatologist
Treatment usually depends on the cause, level and extent of spinal cord compression.
Medical Management: NSAIDs, steroid injections to relieve pain and protect nerve cells until healing is started
- radiotherapy to prevent tumors
- physical therapy to strengthen the back, leg, or arm muscles
- Ergonomic and postural advice
- For braces and collar support
- Surgical treatment: The treatment of spinal cord compression requires a number of surgeries as needed. Let's look further.
Acupuncture and Chiropractic Treatment
1. Fusion
The degenerated vertebrae are joined together by a bone graft. It is an ancient form of surgery that stops the progression of the disease but reduces spinal movement. Therefore this surgery is not used much.
Disc replacement: One or several degenerated discs are removed and replaced with artificial discs that work in the same way as natural discs.
2. Laminoplasty
In this, the vertebrae are opened and reconstructed by removing the pressure on the spine.
3. Lumbar Stabilization
A flexible and strong titanium device is inserted between the vertebrae to provide pain relief and support and restore movement.
4. Microsurgery
This micro-invasive technique removes a small portion of a vertebra, ligament, or disc to relieve pressure and restore movement. In this surgery, an incision of 1 inch or less is made.
Every day new processes are being discovered in this field which are least harmful and more and more beneficial.