Sudden pain in the back or neck… Many think of a lumbago, a hernia, or a simple wrong movement. And yet, this severe pain can hide a spinal cord vascular accident (or spinal cord stroke), a pathology as rare as it is serious.
A vascular accident… of the spinal cord
Spinal cord stroke, or spinal cord infarction, is a little-known form of vascular accident. “Unlike cerebral stroke, it affects the spinal cord, the nerve center of communication between the brain and the rest of the body. intervenes Dr Gérald Kierzek medical director of True Medical.
The mechanism is similar: a sudden interruption of blood flow in the arteries feeding the spinal cord, often due to obstruction or hemorrhage. Deprived of oxygen, nerve cells die, causing sometimes irreversible neurological disorders.
“The causes are varied: damage to the aorta or a spinal artery (dissection, atherosclerosis, surgery, coagulation disorder, arteriovenous malformation).
The most commonly affected artery is the anterior spinal artery, which supplies blood to the front two-thirds of the spinal cord. In some cases, global ischemia may occur after cardiac arrest or hemodynamic shock.”
These symptoms should never be ignored
Spinal cord stroke often manifests suddenly. Among the warning signs not to ignore:
- Sudden violent pain in the neck or back;
- Muscle weakness, often in the legs;
- Sensory disorders: numbness, tingling, loss of sensitivity to heat;
- Sphincter disorders (incontinence);
- A feeling of a tight band around the trunk;
- Sometimes partial or complete paralysis.
“These signs should immediately alert,” insists Dr. Kierzek. “Time is a key factor: the quicker the treatment, the more we limit the after-effects.”
An emergency MRI to detect the problem
When a spinal cord stroke is suspected, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard. “It allows the visualization of characteristic lesions of the spinal cord, often visible in hypersignal on T2 sequences.”
MRI is also used to rule out other causes, such as myelitis (inflammation of the marrow). In some cases, a lumbar puncture may reveal mild inflammation of the spinal fluid.
Spinal cord stroke is an absolute medical emergency. Management is based on hemodynamic stabilization, intensive motor rehabilitation, and sometimes specific treatments depending on the cause: anticoagulants, vascular surgery, or management of an underlying disorder.
The prognosis often remains poor on a functional level: motor or sensory after-effects may persist. But early recognition of symptoms significantly improves the chances of recovery.
“Don’t trivialize sudden back pain”
“We tend to trivialize back pain, but intense and sudden pain should make us suspect a spinal cord stroke”insists Dr. Kierzek.
This condition, although rare, can change a life in minutes. The message is clear: when faced with unusual back pain accompanied by weakness or sensory disturbances, you must consult urgently.
The good deed
To take action against stroke, a donation is also possible to the “Stroke Research Funds” on
https://www.avc-recherche.org/