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In tethered spinal cord syndrome, the lower end of the spinal cord stays attached to the base of the spine, rather than riding freely up and down the spinal canal. Since the spine grows faster than the spinal cord, this leads to increasing stress on the spinal cord as a child grows and becomes more active. Symptoms such as weakess in the legs, low back pain and incontinence may be the first signs of this condition, which is closely related to spina bifida.
Permanent damage can be done to the spinal cord and connected nerves if the cord is not released. Neurosurgeons at Children's Hospital Boston perform the surgery routinely - on straighforward cases as well as highly complex ones.
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