Bleeding in the spinal cord can cause serious damage. It may be caused by trauma or medical errors.
The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves and other tissue that runs from your brain through the spine, down to the first bone in your lower back (the vertebra). Your spinal cord sends messages between your brain and other parts of your body, so if it’s damaged, you can have trouble breathing, talking, or moving.
When you get a hematoma in your spinal cord, the blood that collects around it blocks the flow of blood to your spinal cord and nerve roots, making them harder to send signals. This causes pain, weakness, numbness, and difficulty with walking, swallowing, or bladder control.
In most cases, the spinal hematoma heals itself on its own over time without surgery. However, if the spinal hematoma is causing pressure on your brain or if it’s causing you symptoms, such as headaches, loss of coordination, or vision problems, your doctor will treat it.
You’ll need to be monitored carefully, and you might need tests like X-rays or CT scans to make sure the hematoma is healing properly. Your doctor will also check for other signs of spinal cord damage, such as weakness in your legs or arms or changes in your reflexes.
If you have a hematoma in your spinal canal, the doctor will try to control the bleeding by using medications or special equipment, and will keep the area clean to reduce the chance of more blood collecting. If the spinal cord hematoma is causing pressure on the brain, you may need to undergo surgery called a laminectomy, which removes a small section of bone from your spinal canal.
During a laminectomy, your doctor will remove a thin layer of bone that’s blocking the flow of blood to your spinal cord and may use a special tool to open up the hematoma. Then your doctor will drain the hematoma, which helps to relieve pressure on your spinal cord and reduces the chance of future complications.
Some people with a hematoma in their spinal cord also have a bleed in the skull (a subarachnoid hemorrhage). This type of brain hematoma can cause permanent brain damage. It usually happens when a artery in your head is damaged, and the blood from the bleed pulsates into the space between the brain and skull.
Your doctor may recommend medication, physical therapy, or surgery to help you manage the hematoma. Your doctor may also try to stimulate the hematoma to heal, or may prescribe medications to help you deal with pain and anxiety.
If your doctor’s care isn’t good enough to reduce the amount of bleed in your spinal cord, or if your doctor didn’t take action to stop the bleeding as soon as it started, you might have a case for medical malpractice. You should speak with a medical negligence lawyer to learn more about your legal rights.
The spinal cord is surrounded by three layers of tissue, known as meninges. The membrane layers are the dura mater, arachnoid mater, and pia mater.
