Transverse Myelitis

Transverse Myelitis is a rare neurological condition. It is caused by inflammation (swelling) of the spinal cord. This swelling damages the nerves and can leave permanent scars or lesions on the spinal cord which can interrupt the communication between the nerves in the spinal cord and the rest of the body. This can result in a loss of function.

‘Transverse’ refers to the swelling being across the width of the spinal cord. It’s also sometimes used to describe swelling that only affects part of the width of the spinal cord.

Symptoms of Transverse Myelitis

The symptoms of transverse myelitis can include:

• Muscle weakness in the legs, and sometimes the arms
• Mobility problems
• Unusual sensations and numbness
• Bladder problems
• Bowel problems
• Sexual problems
• Pain

Transverse myelitis can happen to anyone at any time in their life. In most cases there might only be one episode of symptoms, but sometimes it can happen repeatedly. Transverse myelitis can be the first sign of MS or another condition.

Causes of Transverse Myelitis

There are several different causes of transverse myelitis. Sometimes a cause isn’t found, and this is called idiopathic transverse myelitis.

Autoimmune disease

Sometimes transverse myelitis is caused by an autoimmune reaction. In autoimmune diseases, the immune system mistakes the body’s own tissue as dangerous and attacks it. This causes swelling that results in damage to the myelin sheath.

Bacterial/Viral infection

Sometimes transverse myelitis is caused by a bacterial infection or indirectly by a viral infection, although often the virus responsible isn’t identified.

Treating Transverse Myelitis

Sometimes transverse myelitis requires no treatment as it will improve on its own. Sometimes patients may require treatment for their symptoms.

What Complete Neuro Rehab can do to help with TM

We have lots of experience in treating the symptoms of Transverse Myelitis and use a combination of traditional physiotherapy approaches such as stretches and strengthening exercise combined with the use of the latest rehabilitation technology. This allows patients to function at a much higher level that they would normally be able to tolerate, leading to faster recovery and better outcomes for the patient.

Some common therapy approaches and Equipment that we use during a treatment session may include:

·      Tyrostation– TYMO balance training software to help train static and dynamic balance on both flat and more challenging uneven surfaces in both sitting and standing.

·      Electrical stimulation and FES – this allows us to directly stimulate the muscles that have reduced function to maintain or rebuild strength and function.

·      Stretching and strengthening to muscles groups and body area’s that have become tight and weak.

·      Robotic therapy using the OMEGO gait trainer to retrain the walking pattern or the use of the state of the art Luna robotic EMG device to assist with building muscle function and control at the joints.