Myelopathy is a general term, referring to many kinds of nerve disorders or neurological deficit related to your spinal cord. It indicates a disorder in spinal cord activity; the spinal cord is the main nervous tract connecting the brain and brain stem to the spinal cord and the different nerves of the body. Without a properly functioning spinal cord, the brain and the body cannot communicate effectively. Hence, if the spinal cord becomes damaged patients may face disturbance in Motor function, sensory abilities disability, paralysis and other life-threatening complications. and other important aspects of health can decline or even disappear .

Because myelopathy can be caused by a number of different pathologies within the spine, determining its origin may initially require thorough physical and radiological investigations. When myelopathy occurs because of an accident or some kind of trauma, it is more obvious and referred to as a spinal cord injury. Myelopathy can also occur as a result of inflammation or circulatory disorder, and may come on gradually.In the more common form of myelopathy, cervical spondylotic myelopathy , symptoms typically develop slowly and over time, as a result of degeneration and aging of your cervical spine..

Symptoms may initially be subtle and go unnoticed, people with myelopathy may find that they have progressive trouble with bodily activities requiring coordination, like walking downstairs, tying shoes, using keys, hand-writing, e.t.c. It is common to experience issues in body balance during walking or muscle weakness and fatigue.

The proper treatment for myelopathy depends on its cause. The most effective treatment for myelopathy is typically by decompressing the spine through surgery. This helps to prevent additional progression of the myelopathy and provide relief from the symptoms.

At ECC, there are several endoscopic surgical procedures used to treat myelopathy, dependent on the location of the symptoms and the condition of the spine. These include: 1. posterior endoscopic laminoplasty which is a procedure to expand the spinal canal and elevates pressure off the cord including any compressing bone, osteophytes or thickened ligament 2. anterior endoscopic enlarged foraminotomy to relieve pressure off the spinal cord and related nerves and resection of any compressing osteophytic-disc complex.