Myelopathy

Symptoms may affect one’s gait and balance, fine motor skills including dexterity, grip strength, and bowel and bladder function. It can impinge nerve roots and cause radiculopathy to create pain, weakness, or sensory changes in either arms or legs. Positional sense of both arms and legs may be affected making it difficult to use arm and hands and to know where you are placing your feet as you walk.

Other Symptoms:

• You may notice your handwriting change.
• You may walk differently and have difficulty balancing, frequently stumbling or falling.
• You may drop items and have difficulty performing fine motor tasks such as buttoning your clothes, clasping your jewelry or even typing.
• It can alter your bowel or bladder function; you may lose a sense of needing to urinate or be unable to hold your bladder and have incontinence.

Any of these symptoms are important to recognize and require urgent medical evaluation.

Myelopathy is a serious condition that can cause permanent spinal cord injury and if left untreated can lead to significant and permanent nerve damage including paralysis and death. Surgical intervention is warranted in most cases of myelopathy. There are multiple different surgical approaches and procedures which exist to treat spinal stenosis. Each surgical plan is specific to the patient based on their spinal needs. All surgical plans share a common goal of relieving pressure on the spinal cord.