Tethered cord syndrome. The second option, a spinal shortening surgery, is used to avoid disturbing scar tissue or the location where the spinal cord is tethered. During development of the spinal cord, tissue and fat, or other body elements that do not belong near the spinal cord can become attached to the spinal cord. According to Children's Hospital Boston, as a baby develops the spinal cord begins as a flat plate of cells 1. The spinal cord includes the bundle of nerves that controls leg movement and sensation as well as bladder function. If the spinal cord is stuck, it … A tethered spinal cord is a spinal cord that is pulled down and stuck, or fixed, to the spinal canal. The spinal cord normally floats free inside the spinal canal. (SBO). In this procedure, some or all of a vertebra in the spinal column is removed, reducing the strain on the spinal cord and in effect shortening a patient’s height. As a result, the movements of the spinal cord are limited. In children, a tethered cord causes the spinal cord to stretch as the child grows. This story focuses on a 27-year-old woman after she meets with her neurosurgeon. The spine will grow faster than the cord. As a child with tethered spinal cord syndrome grows, their spinal cord becomes stretched out. She learned the pathology reports from her neurosurgery, confirming she was born with spina bifida and tethered cord syndrome. If a symptomatic tethered cord (tethered cord syndrome) is left untreated, it can lead to progressive, permanent spinal cord damage. A tethered cord refers to a condition in which the lower spinal cord is restricted (“tethered”) and is not free to develop normally with in the spinal column. The good news is that tethered spinal cord is a very treatable condition, especially when diagnosed and treated early. When there are no impediments, the cord will move up and down freely in the channel within the spine. In adults, the spinal cord will stretch during the course of normal activity which like bending and stretching. Tethered Cord. It later rolls into a tube encased inside the spine. Learn to recognize signs and symptoms of TSC, as well as surgical treatments for adult & pediatric scoliosis. The term occult spinal dysraphism (OSD) encompasses a group of abnormalities that occur during the development of a human embryo, beginning in the third week of gestation. https://www.spinabifidaassociation.org/resource/spinal-cord-tethering Tethered spinal cord is common in children with spina bifida, but it also occurs in children who don’t have this condition. The spinal cord typically divides into small nerve roots at the L2 vertebral body. Tethered spinal cord syndrome is a disorder that occurs when the spinal cord becomes attached to the tissues surrounding the spine. 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