Specific conditions that can lead to cervical myelopathy are degenerative spine disease, a prolapsed disc, a spinal tumour or external
injury. The most common reason for the development of this condition is cervical spondylosis, which is itself caused by the degeneration of the
joints of the spine within the neck.
Symptoms:
A person suffering from cervical myelopathy may experience numbness, imbalance, weakness and difficulties in bowel and bladder
movements. The most common symptoms of this condition are numbness in hand, clumsiness, usually in performing tasks, which require fine motor
skills like buttoning up. The patient may also be unsteady while walking or even standing. Other symptoms may include:
- Weakness of the arms/hands
- Coordination problems
- Muscle spasm
- Difficulty walking
- Tingling/burning sensation
- Urgency in urinating
Diagnosis:
A diagnosis for any medical condition begins with a careful review of the patient’s and family’s clinical history. Then the patient
is subjected to a physical examination. Confirmation of the occurrence of cervical myelopathy and the exact location of the aberration is done by one or
more of the following imaging tests:
- X-rays
- MRI scans
- CT scans
- CT myelograms
These tests will also reveal how the spinal cord is compressed, the amount of spine area affected and the condition of the
compressing tissue.
Treatments:
Milder forms of cervical myelopathy may be treated with medicine, physiotherapy or a movement-restricting collar, etc. For severe cases,
and in others where non-surgical treatment procedures are ineffective, surgery may become the last resort. Other factors that determine the treatment
plan are the cause of the myelopathy, structural pressure on the spine, etc. Surgical options are the following:
Diskectomy: This operation removes the part of the disc that is causing the pressure to the spinal cord
Laminectomy: A procedure that removes the lamina, a part of the vertebra.
Laminoplasty technique: where the spinal canal is widened in space without removing the normal bone.
Cervical Fusion: In this surgery, screws and a plate are inserted to strengthen the spine and prevent pressure within
the spinal cord
