Syringomyelia - Primary Care Provider Resource for Spinal Cord Injury

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Primary Care Provider Resource for Spinal Cord Injury Heersink School of Medicine

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Syringomyelia (sih-ring-go-my-E-lee-uh) is the development of a fluid-filled cyst (syrinx) within the spinal cord. Over time, the cyst may enlarge, causing pain, spasticity, weakness, stiffness, or loss of sensation among other symptoms.

Signs and Symptoms

Muscle weakness/atrophy
Loss of reflexes
Loss of sensitivity to pain and temperature
Back, shoulders, arms and leg stiffness
Neck, arms and back pain
Bowel and bladder function problems
Muscle weakness and changes in spasticity
Facial pain or numbness
Scoliosis

(Source: Syringomyelia - MayoClinic.org - Mayo Clinic)

Recommendation
If suspeced, immediate referral to neurosurgeon is recommended

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The University of Alabama at Birmingham Spinal Cord Injury Model System provides this website as an auxiliary resource for the primary care of patients with spinal cord injury.The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90SIMS0020). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this website do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.