Myelopathy Can be Treated without surgery.

What is myelopathy?

Myelopathy is an injury to the spinal cord that happens when it is severely compressed. This can happen because of an accident, genetic stenosis, a degenerative disease, or a bulging disc. There are nerves inside the spine that make up the spinal cord. It runs almost the whole length of the body. The signs of myelopathy occur when any part of the spinal cord becomes squished or compressed.

Different Types of Myelopathy

Another name for myopathy is myelopathy, which is nerve damage in the spinal cord. Myopathy is a problem of the muscles, not the nerves.

Radiculopathy vs. myelopathy

Radiculopathy may occur simultaneously with myelopathy. Radiculopathy means that the nerve roots are pinched as they leave the spinal cord or cross the intervertebral disc. This condition is different from myelopathy, which means that the spinal cord itself is compressed.

Many kinds of myelopathy

Anywhere in the spine, myelopathy can happen. It has a different name based on where it shows up.

Myelopathy in the neck

• Usually, myelopathy happens in the neck, and it is called cervical myelopathy. Neck pain is a sign of cervical myelopathy, but not all people who have it feel it.

Throat myelopathy

• In the middle part of the spine, thoracic myelopathy happens. In this area, the spinal cord is often squished by bone spurs, bulging or herniated discs, or spine injuries.

Spinal myelopathy

• A small number of people experience lumbar myelopathy because their spinal cord terminates in the upper part of the lumbar spine. 
• On the other hand, lumbar myelopathy can happen if the spinal cord is compressed or attached to something.

Why do people get myelopathy?

• Stress on the spinal cord and nerve roots can happen with age because of inflammation, arthritis, bone spurs, and the thinning of the discs between the vertebrae. 
• Myelopathy usually happens slowly because the spine wears down over time (spondylosis), but it can also happen quickly or be caused by a spine defect that was present at birth.
• Spinal conditions that get worse over time, like spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the bone passageways in the spine that the spinal cord and nerve roots move through), are a common cause of myelopathy.
• It is also possible for central disc herniations to put pressure on the spinal cord, which can cause myelopathy.
• Autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis in the spine, can also cause the vertebrae to wear down over time, which can squeeze the spinal cord and cause myelopathy.
• The spinal cord can also be pressed on by hernias, cysts, hematomas, and spine tumours, such as bone cancer. This can cause myelopathy.
• A spinal injury, spinal infection, inflammatory disease, radiation treatment, or neurological disorder can all cause acute myelopathy to happen rapidly.
• This is an example of how myelopathy can happen when a disc bulges and puts pressure on the spinal cord.
• This shows how a bulging disc can put stress on the spinal cord and cause myelopathy.

Signs of myelopathy

If you hurt or compress your spinal cord, you might lose your sense of touch or function, and you might feel pain or discomfort in the area at or below the compression point. Some signs of myelopathy are:

• Low back, neck, arm, or leg pain
• Feeling tingly, numb, or weak
• Problems with fine motor skills, like difficulty in writing or buttoning a shirt, may arise. 
• Stronger reflexes in the limbs or the growth of reflexes that don't work properly.
• Having trouble walking
• Loss of control over your bowels or urine
• Having trouble with balance and coordination

"The signs will depend on where the myelopathy is in the spine. For instance, people with cervical myelopathy often have pain in their arms and neck."

How to Diagnose Myelopathy

• The signs and symptoms of myelopathy are not unique to this disease. If you think you might have myelopathy, your doctor may suggest the following tests:
• To rule out other issues, your doctor may recommend an X-ray.
• An MRI scan may be performed to obtain a clear image of the spine and spinal canal, which can reveal areas where the spinal canal is narrowed.
• Myelography uses a contrast material and a real-time X-ray known as fluoroscopy to identify spinal cord problems. It's sometimes used instead of an MRI for people who can't fit inside one.
• An electromyogram and somatosensory evoked potentials are two types of electrical tests that can tell you how well your nerves are working to let your arms and legs feel and move. These tests check how nerves in the hand, arm, leg, or foot connect to the brain through the spinal cord.

"Your doctor may provide you with multiple diagnoses. Myelopathy is sometimes put at the end of a list of conditions to show that the spinal cord is involved. In this case, your doctor might say that you have a thoracic disc problem with myelopathy or cervical stenosis with myelopathy. The same applies if the spinal cord is not affected; if you have a displaced lumbar intervertebral disc without myelopathy, be sure to mention it in your report."

"If another illness is the cause of your myelopathy, your doctor may discuss it in relation to that illness. To give you an example, diabetic myelopathy means that diabetes has damaged the spinal cord. A spinal cord injury caused by a carcinoma is known as carcinomatous myelopathy."

Is myelopathy curable

Myelopathy isn't usually "curable" in the sense that long-term nerve damage can be fixed, but it can be treated. The goals are to stop the disease from getting worse and control symptoms through non-surgical methods (medication, physical therapy) or surgery (decompression) to relieve pressure on the spinal cord, especially when the problem is structural, like bone spurs or herniated discs. It is essential to get a diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible because nerve damage can be lifelong. However, surgery that works can stop the damage from getting worse and sometimes even make things a little better.  

Main Points:

• No One-Cure-All: There isn't a single fix for all causes, especially ones that get worse over time, but treatment focuses on the cause itself. 
• Able to be treated: The Cleveland Clinic, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, and The Ohio State University all say that the goal of management is to stop things from getting worse and make them work better. 
• Surgery vs. non-surgery: Mild cases may start with therapy and medicine, but serious or worsening cases usually need surgery (laminectomy, disc removal) to free up the nerves. 

The treatment's goal is to stop nerve damage from getting worse and improve life, since it can't always be fixed.

How to Treat Myelopathy

The video about the treatment of Myelopathy

How you treat myelopathy depends on what caused it. But sometimes the cause is permanent, and treatment can only help you feel better or slow the condition's progression.

Treatment for myelopathy without surgery

• Braces, physical therapy, and medicine may help people with myelopathy who don't want surgery. These treatments for mild myelopathy aim to relieve pain and restore normalcy.
• The compression can't be taken away with nonsurgical care. Your symptoms will likely get worse over time, but sometimes they will get worse quickly. 
• Please consult your doctor promptly if you notice any worsening of your symptoms. Even with treatment, some of the growth may not be stopped. 
• Therefore, it's crucial to halt any advancement as soon as you detect it in the initial stages.

Surgery to Treat Myelopathy

To take pressure off the spinal cord, spinal decompression surgery is often used to treat myelopathy. Surgery can remove bulging discs or bone spurs if they cause myelopathy.

If you have advanced myelopathy caused by stenosis, your doctor may suggest laminoplasty surgery to make the channel in your spinal cord bigger. As a result of this treatment, your spinal cord will still be able to move freely where it was compressed. Some people might not be good candidates for a laminoplasty for different reasons. Decompression and spinal fusion are options that can be done from the front or the back. During spinal fusion, the vertebrae are joined together so that the damaged part of the spine can't move.

Some people may feel better after minimally invasive spine surgery, which has a lower chance of complications and may help people recover faster than traditional open surgery.

Conclusion

You can control your pain while you wait for surgery by working out, introducing changes to your lifestyle, using heat and cold, getting shots, or taking medicine by mouth. It's critical to follow the directions on any drugs your doctor gives you, as many painkillers and muscle relaxers can have side effects, especially if you use them for a long time.