Thoracic Melopathy

Your spine is made up of 4 parts: Bones, Discs,
Nerves & Soft Tissue (Muscle).

Thoracic Melopathy

Myelopathy is an injury that occurs due to severe compression to the spinal cord. This compression may result from trauma, congenital stenosis, degenerative disease or a herniated disc. Thoracic myelopathy is when this compression occurs in the middle area of the spine.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of thoracic myelopathy include:

Difficulty with coordination
Pain in the neck, arm, leg or lower back
Tingling, numbness or weakness
Trouble keeping your balance
Trouble walking
Trouble with fine motor skills, such as holding a pen to write or using a zipper
Urinary or stool incontinence

Causes

The possible causes of thoracic myelopathy include:

Bone spur
Cyst or hematoma in the spine
Degenerative spine conditions, such as spinal stenosis (narrowing of the bones of the spine that compresses the spinal nerves)
Herniated disc
Rheumatoid arthritis in the spine
Spinal injury or infection
Spinal tumor, including bone cancer

Diagnosis

Your specialist may use the following tests to diagnose your thoracic myelopathy:

X-ray. Your specialist may order an X-ray to rule out any other conditions that can cause similar symptoms.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Your doctor may order an MRI to obtain a detailed image of your spine and spinal cord.

Electrical tests. Your specialist may order an electrical test – such as an electromyogram or somatosensory evoked potentials – to check how well your nerves are working.

Treatment

Your doctor may recommend one or more of the following treatments for your thoracic myelopathy:

Medication. Your specialist may recommend medications to help relieve pain associated with your thoracic myelopathy.

Physical therapy. You may work with a physical therapist to help you how to more easily complete daily tasks. As part of this, you may need to wear a brace.

Spinal decompression surgery. In this procedure, your specialist removes the cause of your thoracic myelopathy, such as a bone spur or herniated disc.

Laminoplasty. In this treatment for more advanced types of thoracic myelopathy, your specialist widens the space through which your spinal cord passes. This helps to relieve pain and other symptoms.