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back pain

Myelitis

Myelitis is another name for spinal cord inflammation, although it is often used to describe cord damage which is NOT caused by trauma or violence. There are many other reasons for spinal cord damage to occur, such as spinal degeneration, disease and congenital conditions. Myelopathy can affect the cervical spinal cord, the thoracic cord or the lumbar/sacral cord and nerve roots.

myelitis

What is Myelitis?

The condition is characterized by inflammation the spinal cord structures responsible for carrying neurological signals to and from the brain. These structures, called myelinated fiber tracts or white matter, are instrumental in proper spinal cord function. Additionally, sometimes, spinal gray matter is also affected; causing neuron related concerns and associated nerve signal loss. Spinal cord inflammation comes in a wide spectrum of severities and can create effects ranging from barely noticeable to complete and utter paralysis.

Causes of Spinal Cord Inflamation

Spinal cord inflammation can be the direct or indirect result of a great number of causations:

* Extreme spinal stenosis.

 * Spinal cord injury from trauma.

* Anatomical ischemia due to arterial disease, embolism or aneurysm

* Spinal tumor formation (cancer or non-cancerous growths)

* Congenital condition, such as spina bifida

 * A variety of disease processes

Obviously, treatment for any form of spinal cord damage should be handled by a specialist and patients affected by inflammatory spinal cord issues must be very vigilant with their preventative healthcare requirements. Treatment for spinal cord damage is limited in many instances, since permanent neurological function is often lost once the spinal structures have been altered.

Myelitis Advice

Achieving an accurate and complete diagnosis, along with a prognosis for the future is especially vital for every person affected with a spinal cord injury. Understanding the exact nature and reasons for the symptoms is the first and most logical step in finding potential resolution or at least preventing additional damage to the spinal cord.

Generally, the higher the level of spinal cord damage, the greater the effects on the patient will be. Cervical myelitic conditions will affect all functions from the neck down, while lumbar cord syndromes will only affect the lower body region. For patients with complete spinal cord injury or high level and severe incomplete cord injuries, there are sure to be significant functional restrictions. However, with modern technology on your side, there is always hope for living a rewarding life while medical science continues its quest for curing cord related trauma. Let’s all hope that stem cell research gets some much needed support and receives the green light for more widespread study and testing…

Myelitis to Back Pain Home 8/5/09 Revised 11/30/09


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