Myelopathy

Spinal cord compression, known as myelopathy, can come as a result of many causes, including a herniated disc, a tumor, or changes in the bone around the spinal cord. The cause can also be the result of disease, and ruling out disease should always be the first step when a patient reports symptoms suggesting myelopathy. These symptoms are weakness, clumsiness, shooting pains into the arms, difficulty walking, and can be as severe as urinary dysfunction.

We can narrow myelopathies down to 3 main categories, hard lesions, soft lesions, and pathology. Pathologies are managed based on the nature of the pathology and require the involvement of a specialist. Hard lesions refer to bones that have grown and imposed on the spinal cord and will typically require surgery. Soft lesions, the most common cause, are caused by internal structures and are well managed by chiropractic care. Conservative care for soft lesions should yield improvement within two weeks. Without treatment of a soft lesion myelopathy, it may resolve on its own, but it could also evolve into a more serious issue.