Aa
to de-tether or not?
My question is, should I be seriously considering surgery soon to de-tether my spinal cord before things get much worse?
I'm a 44 year old female. I had surgery to repair spina bifida (meningocele) at the age of 9 mos. old.
I was diagnosed with tethered cord 10 years ago. I have scoliosis of the lumbar spine, foot & leg abnormalities - curly toes, smaller left calf, left leg shorter and does not straighten properly. Nerve conduction tests showed that my left foot/leg is quite compromised. I can't feel much in my left foot, seems to be getting colder and crampy more often. My legs are getting weaker especially the left. Bouts of back pain and sciatica in right leg. If I wear shoes with a heel over 2 inches my left ankle will buckle. The last year I have noticed my neck gets stiff and muscles sore which can spread into my upper back ( hoping it's just tension) When I close my eyes my balance seems very off and I'm experiencing ears ringing. Also may be having bladder issues (not sure) I will be seeing a Urologist in June. I recently had another MRI this time of my thorasic & cervical spine, still awaitng the results. Should I be getting an MRI of my brain done for Chiari? If I should be considering de-tether surgery, should it be soon? Also I would need to find a Neurologist who specializes in this in Canada. I would really appreciate feedback on this, thanks so much.
I'm a 44 year old female. I had surgery to repair spina bifida (meningocele) at the age of 9 mos. old.
I was diagnosed with tethered cord 10 years ago. I have scoliosis of the lumbar spine, foot & leg abnormalities - curly toes, smaller left calf, left leg shorter and does not straighten properly. Nerve conduction tests showed that my left foot/leg is quite compromised. I can't feel much in my left foot, seems to be getting colder and crampy more often. My legs are getting weaker especially the left. Bouts of back pain and sciatica in right leg. If I wear shoes with a heel over 2 inches my left ankle will buckle. The last year I have noticed my neck gets stiff and muscles sore which can spread into my upper back ( hoping it's just tension) When I close my eyes my balance seems very off and I'm experiencing ears ringing. Also may be having bladder issues (not sure) I will be seeing a Urologist in June. I recently had another MRI this time of my thorasic & cervical spine, still awaitng the results. Should I be getting an MRI of my brain done for Chiari? If I should be considering de-tether surgery, should it be soon? Also I would need to find a Neurologist who specializes in this in Canada. I would really appreciate feedback on this, thanks so much.
sorry for being late to answer, but lastly this forum baecame very popular and submits plenty of new questions daily!
Your case is not probably a tathered cord syndrome diagnosed 34 years ago unless it is a very minimal defect. Please try to help neurosurgeons via a lower limb EMG study, just to indirectly differentiate wether your nerves were harmed during that last period or not. The result will be decisive. however a big component of your problem is caused by an excessive stress and anxiety, please try to consult the nearest neurologist for an anxiolytic prescribtion, better with a small dose of an antidepressant to overcome your difficulties. It is not advised to just treat the pain or the spasm of your leg.
Many other medicatios can help like the strong central muscle relaxant (Baclofen).
About Chiari malform.. Please dont be obsessive to this post, becuase such malformation couldnt be present for 40 years without neurologists diagnosis..
About feet... Never too late, at any time you cqn find a specialist in orthopedic surgery who can do for you surgeries
Your case is not probably a tathered cord syndrome diagnosed 34 years ago unless it is a very minimal defect. Please try to help neurosurgeons via a lower limb EMG study, just to indirectly differentiate wether your nerves were harmed during that last period or not. The result will be decisive. however a big component of your problem is caused by an excessive stress and anxiety, please try to consult the nearest neurologist for an anxiolytic prescribtion, better with a small dose of an antidepressant to overcome your difficulties. It is not advised to just treat the pain or the spasm of your leg.
Many other medicatios can help like the strong central muscle relaxant (Baclofen).
About Chiari malform.. Please dont be obsessive to this post, becuase such malformation couldnt be present for 40 years without neurologists diagnosis..
About feet... Never too late, at any time you cqn find a specialist in orthopedic surgery who can do for you surgeries
Thank you for your response. Not sure if nerve conduction tests which I had done several years ago and they showed that my left leg, in the Neurosurgeons words were "quite compromised" and not sending proper signals to my brain is the same as EMG, which you suggested that I have done.
Not too concerned about surgery for my feet but more about whether I should be considering surgery to de-tether my my cord before things get worse. Thank you
Not too concerned about surgery for my feet but more about whether I should be considering surgery to de-tether my my cord before things get worse. Thank you
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