At the UK HealthCare Comprehensive Spine Center, our team of experts works together to create the treatment plan that best fits your specific needs.
Treatment for syringomyelia can vary depending on your age and how bad your symptoms are.
If the syrinx isn’t causing symptoms, you may only need regular checkups with a neurology team. This kind of monitoring is common for older adults who have few or no symptoms. It may also be recommended for children, since syringomyelia often goes away on its own as a child’s skull continues to grow.
Analgesics, or pain relievers, include a diverse group of medicines that target various pain types. Depending on the type of pain and how severe it is, some analgesics are available over the counter. Others require a prescription.
These are the two main categories of analgesics:
- Anti-inflammatory analgesics: These work by reducing inflammation, a common source of pain.
- Opioid analgesics: These work by altering the brain's perception of pain itself.
Physical therapy plays a crucial role in effectively managing chronic back pain. At UK HealthCare, physical therapy is an integral part of many spine treatment plans. Our spine specialists work with therapy experts who specialize in musculoskeletal care. Together, they create a plan tailored for your unique needs.
A physical therapist can:
- Create a personalized exercise plan to enhance your flexibility and range of motion
- Strengthen your core muscles to maintain proper alignment
- Improve your posture
- Educate you on correct movement techniques and modifications to use during pain episodes, helping you to engage in your favorite activities while reducing the likelihood of recurring back pain
You may find relief by limiting movement temporarily or avoiding certain activities, depending on which part of the spine is affected. Rest can be particularly helpful in reducing swelling and inflammation if the condition is caused by an injury. Your care team will work with you and provide guidance on which activities you may need to limit.
Some patients with syringomyelia will need surgery. The type of surgery needed depends on the cause of your syringomyelia, but surgery to repair a Chiari malformation (posterior fossa decompression) is the most common.
During this procedure, your surgeon will excise a tiny piece of your skull and sometimes a small part of your spinal column. This gives your brain and spinal column the space they need to relieve pressure and may allow the syrinx to drain. Sometimes the surgeon will need to cut the dura mater, the tissue that covers the brain, for additional space.
Before surgery, you will receive general anesthesia. The surgery will take two to four hours, depending on whether the dura mater is cut. You will need to stay in the hospital for one to three days, depending on the extent of the procedure. Some patients will have a shunt to allow the syrinx to drain.
After a few weeks at home, you can return to normal activities. You might need to avoid hard exercise or certain sports for a while, but most patients fully recover over time.
Multiple surgical approaches are used to treat acquired and posttraumatic syringomyelia. Your provider will discuss which options may be best.