Book an Appointment
2015-10-07
Spinal tumors can also cause weakness and paralysis of the legs
Case Sharing
48-year-old Mr. Li came to Hong Kong from China to seek medical treatment for his paralyzed legs and fatigue symptoms. He has been receiving Chinese and Western therapies in China for two years, but his symptoms have not been improved. Two years ago, Mr. Li only felt pain in his feet, but slowly found that his feet were unstable and his thigh muscles were weak. At the same time, he gradually felt numbness in his legs and had difficulty lifting his legs when he walked quickly. Recently, it has also affected frequent urination. After detailed consultation and examination, it was found that Li’s symptoms were too unusual. It may be caused by a severe intervertebral disc compressing the Cauda Equina Syndrome, or a spinal tumor compressing the spinal cord and affecting the disease. The author immediately arranged an MRI scan of the spine, and it turned out that a 2cm Nerve Sheath Spinal Tumor had grown in the 9/10th spine of the thoracic spine, which had seriously compressed the spinal cord. He was immediately referred to a neurosurgeon on the same day to arrange admission for surgery to remove the tumor. On the second day after the operation, the patient felt that the weakness and paralysis of the feet were greatly improved.
Primary tumor in the spine
Can be divided into three categories:
The first type is tumors that grow outside the spinal cord. The most common is spinal metastases. In addition to direct compression of the spinal cord, it may also damage the vertebral body and cause pathological fractures. The second category is tumors that grow in the dura, most of which are benign tumors. The most common are schwannomas and dural tumors. Generally speaking, they can be safely removed by surgery without any impact on nerve function. The third type is tumors that grow in the spinal cord. The most common is astrocytoma, which can also be completely removed by surgery.
Spinal nerve sheath tumor
Benign tumors in the spinal canal will not metastasize to other parts, and there will be no immediate life threatening, but because it grows in the spinal canal, when it is large, it will compress the spinal nerve and produce symptoms similar to sciatica. In severe cases, it will cause The lower limb paralyze and will not return to normal over time.
postscript
Chiropractors encounter many patients with spinal neuralgia every day. We need to have professional and accurate diagnosis and referral to appropriate treatment, so as to give patients the fastest and best treatment results.
