Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal Cord Injury
With advancements in spinal cord injury (SCI) research, people are living longer, more active lives after traumatic neck and/or back injury. But, it may come at a cost: Complications may arise many years after the initial injury.
Some of the most common spinal cord injury-associated diseases and disorders are local, which means they affect a specific site in the body. Others are systemic complications, meaning they may become chronic disorders with widespread impact throughout your body.
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Local Complications
Syringomyelia
About 3% of people with SCI develop syringomyelia, which occurs when a fluid-filled cyst, or syrinx, forms within the spinal cord. The cyst grows larger over time, causing spinal cord compression and progressive myelopathy that can occur years after the SCI.
Some people with syringomyelia experience no symptoms and require only periodic monitoring. On the other end of the spectrum, patients with significant symptoms may undergo a surgical decompression procedure.
Neuropathic joint arthropathy (or Charcot joint arthropathy)
Like syringomyelia, which can arise years after the initial spinal injury, neuropathic spinal arthropathy (or Charcot joint arthropathy) is a delayed SCI complication.
Neuropathic joint arthropathy is the slow destruction of a joint (including those in the hips, knees, ankles, shoulders, elbows, and spine). This complication is often diagnosed as many as 15 years after the initial SCI. Patients may develop a deformity, have pain below the sensory level of injury, reduced neurological function, and/or audible clicking sounds with movement.
Several treatment options exist for this type of arthropathy, including conservative monitoring, bracing, medications, and spinal fusion surgery.