The spinal cord extends from the brain to the lower back and carries messages between the body and the brain in a top-down manner. It is encased in the spinal canal, an opening in the vertebral column that is protected by the bony parts of the vertebrae. The spinal canal is occupied by the spinal cord and the posterior longitudinal ligament, which sits between the cord and the back of the vertebra.
Spinal cord injuries (SCI) are one of the most serious consequences of high speed accidents or sporting activities, a rare but devastating injury which can also occur after infections, tumours or ischaemic damage. The largest risk group are younger people due to their propensity to perform risky activities but a person of any age can suffer from SCI.
Degenerative thoracic spinal stenosis may get better with conservative treatment, which includes anti-inflammatory medications, pain management and physical therapy. Steroid injections or nerve blocks may help manage the pain.
If the pain is uncontrolled or if there are signs of cord compression, however, surgery is necessary to relieve pressure on the cord or spinal nerves. Traditional surgical options are laminectomy or corpectomy to provide more room in the spinal canal and spinal fusion to stabilize the spine and prevent damage to the cord.
Symptoms
The symptoms of spinal stenosis depend on where the narrowing is. Most spinal stenosis affects the lumbar, or lower back, area. You experience pain radiating down your leg that is relieved if you sit or bend forward. In severe cases, you could lose bowel, bladder or sexual function and have difficulty walking.
The second most common area for spinal stenosis to occur is in your neck, or cervical spine. People with cervical stenosis may feel pain radiating down an arm, or aching, numbness or tingling in the arm or leg. They may have difficulty with fine motor skills, such as picking things up with their fingers or writing, problems walking or loss of bladder and bowel control.
There are a few conditions that cause spinal stenosis that are neither congenital nor the result of aging. Tumors can invade any of the spinal spaces and compress nerves. Paget’s disease is a bone disorder that causes the vertebrae to thicken, obstructing the openings. Fluorosis, or excessive exposure to fluoride, causes calcification of the ligaments around the spinal openings.
Spinal stenosis in the neck may cause more severe symptoms. The cervical spine protects the spinal cord as it descends from the base of the brain. Because spinal stenosis in the neck puts pressure on the spinal cord, the disc pressure will cause symptoms related to the spinal cord. These include a decrease in the ability to walk as well as problems with the hands.
Types of Injuries
A spinal cord injury can result in the loss of the ability to move or feel. These injuries are either complete or incomplete. A complete injury refers to a spinal injury in which a person loses nerve function and the ability to control movement below the injury. This typically includes the inability to control one’s legs, bowel, and bladder, while still maintaining control over the arms and legs.
A spinal fusion is simply the uniting of two bony segments, whether a fracture or a vertebral joint. The reason for instrumentation with rods and screws is to act as and ‘internal cast’ to stabilize the vertebra until the fusion, or bony re-growth, can occur.
Spinal Stenosis is a medical condition that is found mostly in elderly people. The spinal canal, which stretches from the bottom of the head to the top of the pelvis, might become narrow and the spinal cord and nerves get compressed. This causes low back pain, pain or numbness in legs, thighs and buttocks, and sometimes loss of bladder and bowel control in severe cases.
sometimes for weeks and even months. This could result in swelling, uncontrollable bleeding, inflammation and edema, aka fluid build up which concentrates in the spinal cord area. Nontraumatic spinal cord injury MTBI, can be from arthritis, bad blood vessels, profuse internal bleeding, inflammations degenerative disk disease and other pre-existing problems with your spine.
Spinal Decompression therapy is an exciting modern healthcare treatment for back and neck pain due to a variety of conditions. There is a great deal of research to support the effectiveness of spinal decompression in relieving pain and symptoms. Many doctors, clinics, marketing companies, and equipment manufacturers really go overboard when praising the benefits of decompression however!
Several bone rings called vertebrae (singular is vertebra) enfold the spinal cord. These bones go to construct the back bone or the spinal column. Depending on their locations, the vertebrae are christened. The eight Cervical Vertebrae are located in the neck.
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