What Is a Myelopathy?
4. Symptoms
The symptoms of myelopathy may vary depending on the level where the compression occurs. You may experience pain in your back or your neck. You may also experience symptoms of weakness, numbness, and tingling in your arms or legs. Cervical myelopathy is more likely to cause symptoms in your arms, while lower extremity symptoms may result from compression at a lower level.
Because compression of the spinal cord can disrupt the neural signals from your brain, myelopathy can also cause deficits in both voluntary and involuntary functions. For example, you may experience difficulty walking, problems with fine motor skills, and issues with coordination and balance. Reflexes may become abnormal or increased, while bowel and bladder control may decrease.
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