Syringomyelia is a spinal cord health issue caused by a cyst. This cyst slowly expands and elongates, which compresses and destroys that portion of your spinal cord. In the process causing you chronic pain.
Syringomyelia cysts are filled with cerebrospinal fluid filled. Normally, cerebrospinal fluid flows around your spinal cord and not in it. With this health condition, the fluid is within your spinal cord causing a cyst to grow.
Generally, syringomyelia is related to Chiari malformation or is caused by some sort of spinal cord damage, typically due to trauma, meningitis, hemorrhage, a tumor or arachnoiditis. When a cyst develops after a spinal cord injury it is known as post traumatic syringomyelia.
The main symptom of post traumatic syringomyelia is chronic pain. This central nervous system pain may cause a dull ache, burning sensation or stabbing feeling. Syringomyelia will likely cause some of these other symptoms as well:
- rashes
- scoliosis
- paralysis
- headache
- incontinence
- paresthesias
- hyperhidrosis
- muscle atrophy
- muscle spasms
- muscle stiffness
- muscle tightness
- muscle weakness
- muscle function loss
- decreased sense of touch
- uncoordinated movements
- inability to use arms or legs
- lost sensitivity to hot & cold
Usually, symptoms tend to develop slowly and may cause problems on one or both sides of your body. Symptoms experienced will vary based on where your syringomyelia cyst forms and the extent of its growth.
Not every case of syringomyelia advances to a stage that causes debilitating symptoms. For those that do, surgery may be the only treatment that relieves its chronic pain.
The type of surgery treatment differs for Chiari related syringomyelia and post traumatic syringomyelia. And sometimes, repeated surgeries will be required.
Prior to surgery treatment you may be prescribed pain relievers to ease your chronic pain symptoms. Also, radiation therapy may be used to treat a tumor if that is your case.