Understanding Cervical Myelopathy
Cervical myelopathy might sound complex, but it’s all about pressure on the neck’s spinal cord. This pressure can lead to problems in our body’s signals and movement.
Spotting the Signs
When the spinal cord in your neck gets squeezed, it causes trouble. You might feel weak in your legs, find it hard to move your hands, or have numbness in your limbs. In some cases, it can even make your legs and arms very weak or shaky. Walking might change, and controlling when you pee could become tough. Sometimes, your legs might jerk suddenly even when you’re resting. Catching these problems early, like hand numbness or handwriting changes, can help a lot. Neck pain could be there or not, depending on what’s causing the trouble.
Checking How Bad It Is
Doctors use special tests to see how serious the problem is. They look at things like how well you can move and feel, and these tests also help them guess how well you might do after treatment.
Finding the Causes
The trouble can happen for different reasons. Often, it’s because of wear and tear in the neck bones (cervical spondylosis). Other times, there might be growths or infections. Some people are more likely to have it, like those in their 60s with spondylosis, or those between 30 and 50 with specific bone issues.
The other conditions are OPLL – ossified posterior longitudinal ligament, OYLL – ossified yellow ligament, inflammatory conditions like Ankylosing spondylitis, some tumor growth in Spine, Infections arising in cervical spine can produce compressive myelopathy.
Fixing the Problem
If things are serious, surgery might be needed. But for less serious cases, wearing a special neck brace and doing certain exercises can help. The type of surgery depends on what’s wrong – it could be fixing bones, removing something that’s causing pressure, or other methods.
Dr. Ramachandran’s Way
Dr. Ramachandran has a special way of looking at this problem. He doesn’t just rely on regular tests. He uses dynamic MRIs to see more details and decide the best way to fix things (Cervical Laminoplasty/ Cervical Laminectomy/ACDF). This smart approach helps prevent future problems and gives better results after treatment.
When neck trouble tries to take over, Dr. Ramachandran is here to help. With his clear understanding and caring approach, you can take back control from cervical myelopathy. Don’t let neck problems control your life – Dr. Ramachandran has guided many cervical spondylosis patients to a better, pain-free future.