What are the symptoms of a tethered spinal cord?
Symptoms of Tethered Spinal Cord
- Back pain or shooting pain in the legs.
- Weakness, numbness or problems with muscle function in the legs.
- Tremors or spasms in the leg muscles.
- Changes in the way the feet look, like higher arches or curled toes.
- Loss of bladder or bowel control that gets worse.
What causes conus medullaris syndrome?
In most cases, a blow to the back—such as from a car accident or gunshot—is to blame. But some diseases, notably spinal cord infections, malformations of the spinal column due to spinal stenosis, and spinal tumors can also cause the syndrome.
How is Conus Medullaris syndrome diagnosed?
Stemming from a previous spinal cord injury, conus medullaris syndrome is diagnosed by a medical professional through an MRI of the lower back and spine. The severity and type of injury sustained prior to diagnosis is all taken into consideration when identifying this condition.
What is Conus Medullaris syndrome?
Conus medullaris syndrome is caused by an injury or insult to the conus medullaris and lumbar nerve roots. It is a clinical subset of spinal cord injury syndromes. Injuries at the level of T12 to L2 vertebrae are most likely to result in conus medullaris syndrome.
Is a tethered spinal cord painful?
Symptoms. In adults, symptoms of tethered cord often develop slowly, but they can become quite severe. Symptoms may include back pain that radiates to the legs, hips, and the genital or rectal areas. The legs may feel numb or weak, and may lose muscle.
How is cauda equina syndrome different from conus medullaris?
The symptoms and signs of cauda equina syndrome tend to be mostly lower motor neuron (LMN) in nature, while those of conus medullaris syndrome are a combination of LMN and upper motor neuron (UMN) effects (see Table 1, below).
What are the signs of cauda equina syndrome?
Symptoms and Diagnosis
- Urinary retention: the most common symptom.
- Urinary and/or fecal incontinence.
- “Saddle anethesia” sensory disturbance, which can involve the anus, genitals and buttock region.
- Weakness or paralysis of usually more than one nerve root.
- Pain in the back and/or legs (also known as sciatica).
What is the conus medullaris of the spinal cord?
The conus medullaris is the tapering distal end of the spinal cord and consists of the sacral ( S2-S5) and coccygeal spinal cord segments. Typically, the conus medullaris lies around the level of L1 vertebra in adults, but it may be as high as T12 vertebra or as low as L3 vertebra.
Does the tethered cord syndrome exist in CONUS Medu?
The tethered cord syndrome has been a well-recognized entity, occurring in the pediatric and adult population. A central tenet to this syndrome is that the conus medu … The intent of this article is to propose the existence of the tethered cord syndrome in patients whose conus is in a normal position.
Does conus medullaris affect cauda equina?
Situated near the first two lumbar vertebrae, the conus medullaris ends at the cauda equina, a bundle of spinal nerves and nerve roots. Consequently, problems with the conus medullaris often affect the cauda equina. Conus medullaris syndrome is a secondary form of spinal cord damage resulting from injuries to the lumbar vertebrae.
What is tethered spinal cord syndrome?
Tethered spinal cord syndrome is a neurological disorder caused by tissue attachments that limit the movement of the spinal cord within the spinal column. Attachments may occur congenitally at the base of the spinal cord (conus medullaris) or they may develop near the site of an injury to the spinal cord.