Tethered Cord
Explained for Kids
Imagine your spinal cord is like a long cable that runs down your back inside your spine. This cable helps send messages from your brain to the rest of your body, telling your arms and legs how to move. Usually, this cable (the spinal cord) can freely move as you grow. But sometimes, the spinal cord gets stuck to something inside your spine and can’t move freely. It’s like playing tug-of-war.
When the spinal cord is stuck like this, it’s called a “tethered cord.” This can cause some problems because the cord gets stretched when you grow or move, which can hurt and make it hard for your body to work correctly. Some kids with a tethered cord might feel pain in their back or legs, have trouble walking, or notice other changes in how their body feels or works. Doctors can find out if someone has a tethered cord by taking special pictures of their spine using an MRI, which is like a super-powered camera that can see inside your body. If they find a tethered cord, they might suggest surgery to help “untie” it, so it can move freely again. After surgery, many kids feel a lot better and can move around more easily. So, a tethered cord is when your spinal cord is stuck, and doctors can fix it to help you feel better and stay active!
Explained for Parents
Tethered cord syndrome is a neurological disorder caused by tissue attachments that limit the movement of the spinal cord within the spinal column. These attachments can cause an abnormal stretching of the spinal cord. The spinal cord moves freely in a healthy spine as a child grows. However, in tethered cord syndrome, the spinal cord is abnormally fixed or tethered at the base of the spine. This tethering can result in neurological damage as the spinal cord is stretched.
Symptoms can vary widely but may include:
– Back pain, especially in the lower back
– Leg pain, numbness, or weakness
– Foot and spinal deformities
– Changes in bladder and bowel control
– Scoliosis (curvature of the spine)
Tethered cord syndrome is diagnosed through a combination of clinical evaluations and MRI imaging. Sometimes, it can be identified in early childhood, while in other cases, it may not be discovered until adolescence.
Treatment typically involves surgery to release the tethered spinal cord. The goal of the surgery is to free the spinal cord so it can move more naturally and to prevent further neurological damage. This procedure often results in significant improvement of symptoms, though early diagnosis and treatment generally lead to better outcomes.