If you have myelopathy, you have experienced a severe compression to your spinal cord. It is typically a gradual process with the degenerative changes linked to aging. As a person ages, several things may start to happen:
It is a combination of these factors that usually lead to a narrowing of the spinal canal, eventually leading to pressure on the spinal cord and cervical myelopathy.
Symptoms of myelopathy result from the compression of the spine and the pressure put on the nerves housed within the spine. Symptoms depend on where along the spine your myelopathy is located and may include:
Endoscopic spinal decompression surgery is designed to take pressure off the spinal cord and is a common surgical treatment for myelopathy. For more advanced myelopathy caused by stenosis, Dr. Shen may recommend a laminoplasty – a surgical procedure that increases the channel space of your spinal column. Spinal fusion may sometimes be a surgical alternative, depending on the extent and location of your myelopathy.