Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Myelopathy is the result of an injury, neurological deficit, or inflammatory condition related to the spinal cord. Myelopathy can be cervical, thoracic, or lumbar, based on the part of the spine that is affected.
Often times, the condition is missed or treated as a normal consequence of aging.
Because this condition can be progressive, early recognition and treatment is vital to improve outcomes before irreversible spinal cord damage has occurred.
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Symptoms and Types
The symptoms of myelopathy depend on the type and the extent of the spinal problem.
General symptoms include:
Cervical Myelopathy
Cervical myelopathy causes compression of thespinal cordin thecervical spine(neck). The cervical spine contains seven vertebrae—referred to as C1 to C7—with six vertebral discs and eightnerve roots.
Cervical myelopathy is known to cause two types of symptoms: those in the neck and those appearing throughout the body at or below the compressed area in the spinal cord.
Neck symptoms include pain and stiffness, and reduced range of motion. As the condition worsens, a person may experience shooting pain starting in the neck and traveling down into the spine.
Other symptoms of cervical myelopathy are:
Cervical myelopathy is the most common type of myelopathy. The prevalence of surgically treated cervical myelopathy is 1.6 per 100,000 people, although researchers believe this number is much higher.
Everything You Need to Know About Spinal Cord Compression
Thoracic Myelopathy
Thoracic myelopathy causes the spinal cord in this area to be compressed from a bulging orherniated disc, bone spurs, or a trauma to the spine.
Thethoracic regionis the middle part of the spine. Thoracic myelopathy designates the location of the myelopathy. While the myelopathy originates in the thoracic region, it is possible for pain to be felt in other parts of the spine.
Symptoms experienced with thoracic myelopathy include pain and weakness in the legs and hands and problems with walking and balance.A person with this condition may also experience loss of bowel, bladder, or sexual function.
Because the symptoms of thoracic myelopathy aren’t unique and are seen with other types of myelopathy, testing is required to determine whether a person has thoracic myelopathy. This may include X-rays, nerve function testing, and/ormagnetic resonance imaging(MRI) scans of the spinal cord and spinal canal.
Lumbar Myelopathy
Lumbar myelopathy is much rarer in comparison to cervical and thoracic myelopathy. It affects the lower part of the spine—thelumbar region.
Classification
Abscess-related compressive myelopathy requires rapid treatment to prevent and minimize permanent damage and neurological deficits. It is usually treated with antibiotics and/or surgery.
10 Serious Infections of the Spinal Cord
There are several causes of myelopathy, with the highest risk factor for the condition being age. As people age,inflammation, arthritis,bone spurs, and spinal discs put pressure on the spinal cord and its nerve roots.
Pain is the most common reason people with myelopathy seek treatment.This may include neck pain, nerve pain in the arms and legs, and sometimes pain in the torso.
The symptoms of myelopathy are not unique and are seen in other conditions affecting the back, neck, and/or spine. Your healthcare provider will recommend specific testing to rule out other conditions and narrow down myelopathy.
Testing for a myelopathy diagnosis may include:
A diagnosis of myelopathy is communicated in a variety of ways.For example, the term “myelopathy” can be added to another diagnosis, such as “cervical stenosiswith myelopathy.”
If the spinal cord is not involved, your healthcare provider may use the term “without myelopathy,” such as “displaced lumbar disc without myelopathy.”
If myelopathy is a complication of another disease, your practitioner may refer to it as it pertains to your disease, such as “diabetic myelopathy,” meaning that diabetes has caused damage to the spinal cord.
Goals for treating myelopathy involve reducing pain and improving a person’s ability to function and carry on with normal, day-to-day activities. Most of the time, this is done through nonsurgical approaches.
When symptoms of myelopathy continue or worsen despite nonsurgical therapies, your healthcare provider may suggest surgical intervention.
Nonsurgical Treatment
Many nonsurgical treatments can be just as effective as surgery for reducing pain and easing symptoms of myelopathy.Usually, these measures are effective and may reduce the need for surgery, or in the least, delay surgery until absolutely necessary.
Nonsurgical treatments may include:
Surgery
For cases of moderate to severe myelopathy or cases where nonsurgical treatments don’t help, your healthcare provider may recommend surgical treatment. Surgeries that can alleviate myelopathy remove pressure from the spinal cord and open up more space for the spinal cord within the spinal canal.
Three surgeries commonly used for treating myelopathy are:
Regardless of the treatment approach for myelopathy, your healthcare provider’s plan will be to decompress the spinal cord and prevent neurological problems. Another goal will be to reduce neck pain and current neurological symptoms.
Outcomes will vary from person to person, but most people show improvement with nonsurgical options, and if there isn’t any improvement, surgery can be beneficial.
Your healthcare provider is in the best position to discuss your treatment options and provide information on what to expect from treatment based on your unique situation.
A Word From Verywell
While most of the time, neck or back pain isn’t serious, there are instances where it can be. You should talk to your healthcare provider if you experience pins and needles in your arms and legs, in addition to neck or back pain; if you a have a fever; or if pain worsens when you sit down.
If you are having any problems with urinating or moving your bowels, and you are experiencing back pain, you should talk to your healthcare provider right away.
These are signs of a very serious condition where the nerves at the bottom of the spinal cord—called the cauda equina—become damaged. Cauda equina syndrome is considered a medical emergency and requires urgent surgical treatment.
Fortunately, cauda equina syndrome is rare, and most people who experience neck, back, and spine symptoms rarely need surgery, and symptoms can be managed with nonsurgical therapies and at-home care.
Of course, anytime neck, back, or spine symptoms get worse or you are having a hard time performing daily activities, make sure you make an appointment to see your healthcare provider.
Cauda Equina Syndrome
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Cleveland Clinic.Spine structure and function.
Kranz PG, Amrhein TJ.Imaging approach to myelopathy: acute, subacute, and chronic.Radiol Clin North Am. 2019;57(2):257-279. doi:10.1016/j.rcl.2018.09.006
Davies BM, Mowforth OD, Smith EK, Kotter M.Degenerative cervical myelopathy.BMJ. 2018;360:k186. doi:10.1136/bmj.k186
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American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Cervical spondylotic myelopathy: surgical treatment options.
American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Cauda equina syndrome.
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