Lumbar Myelopathy
In contrast to cervical and thoracic myelopathy, lumbar myelopathy is far less common. The lumbar portion of the spine, which is at the bottom, is affected.
The spinal cord terminates at the top of the lumbar spine, making it uncommon. Myelopathy can impact a person’s low-lying lumbar spine. The other two categories share comparable symptoms.
Cervical Myelopathy
Cervical myelopathy occurs when the spinal cord in the cervical spine (neck) compresses. The cervical spine contains seven vertebrae referred to as C1 to C7, with eight nerve roots and six vertebral discs.
There are two known types of symptoms associated with cervical myelopathy: those that affect the neck and those that spread throughout the body at or below the compressed location in the spinal cord.
Reduced range of motion, discomfort, and stiffness are some of the neck symptoms. Shooting pain that originates in the neck and radiates down into the spine may be felt as the illness progresses.
Other symptoms of cervical myelopathy are:
- Weakness of arms and hands
- Numbness or tingling in the arms and hands
- Balance problems
- Clumsiness of and poor coordination in the hands
- Difficulty holding small objects, such as a pen or coins
Cervical myelopathy is the most common type of myelopathy. The prevalence of surgically treated cervical myelopathy is 1.6 per 100,000 people, although researchers believe this number is much higher.