The spine will grow faster than the cord. During that appointment, she hears her spinal cord is permanently damaged, and the spasticity is permanent as well. It later rolls into a tube encased inside the spine. Surgery is the most common treatment to “untether” the spinal cord from the spinal tissue. (SBO). As a child with tethered spinal cord syndrome grows, their spinal cord becomes stretched out. The spinal cord normally floats free inside the spinal canal. Learn to recognize signs and symptoms of TSC, as well as surgical treatments for adult & pediatric scoliosis. Tethered spinal cord syndrome is a disorder that occurs when the spinal cord becomes attached to the tissues surrounding the spine. The second option, a spinal shortening surgery, is used to avoid disturbing scar tissue or the location where the spinal cord is tethered. https://www.spinabifidaassociation.org/resource/spinal-cord-tethering In children, a tethered cord causes the spinal cord to stretch as the child grows. According to Children's Hospital Boston, as a baby develops the spinal cord begins as a flat plate of cells 1. Tethered spinal cord is common in children with spina bifida, but it also occurs in children who don’t have this condition. When there are no impediments, the cord will move up and down freely in the channel within the spine. If the spinal cord is stuck, it … She learned the pathology reports from her neurosurgery, confirming she was born with spina bifida and tethered cord syndrome. This often leads to nerve damage and pain. 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. In adults, the spinal cord will stretch during the course of normal activity which like bending and stretching. This story focuses on a 27-year-old woman after she meets with her neurosurgeon. The spinal cord typically divides into small nerve roots at the L2 vertebral body. As a result, the movements of the spinal cord are limited. 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 spinal cord is a spinal cord that is pulled down and stuck, or fixed, to the spinal canal. This can occur during fetal development or may be associated with build up of scar tissue after previous surgery in or around the spinal cord. 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. 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. Tethered Cord. Tethered Spinal Cord is a rare form of spinal deformity that limits the movement of the spinal cord at its base, leading to additional issues like scoliosis. 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