Surfer's myelopathy

Surfer's myelopathy
Spinal cord
Specialty	Neurology

Surfer's myelopathy is a rare, nontraumatic spinal cord injury caused by hyperextension of the back and resulting in paraplegia (paralysis below the waist).[1] During hyperextension, a blood vessel leading to the spine, such as the anterior spinal artery,[2] can become kinked, depriving the spinal cord of oxygen.[3] Although the condition derives its name from the fact that the phenomenon is most often seen in those surfing for the first time, it can be caused by any activity in which the back is hyperextended (yoga, pilates, etc.). In some cases, the paralysis is permanent.[4]

Recommendations for prevention of myelopathy include proper warm-up, limiting session length, and sitting rather than lying on the board while waiting for waves.[4]

• 
  A surfer paddling.
• 
  Surfer sitting on his board, thereby resting his back.

History

In a 2012 case series of nineteen novice surfers with nontraumatic myelopathy was published in 2012, all patients' MRI scans showed hyperintensity from the lower thoracic spinal cord to the conus medullaris.[5]^[clarification needed] An additional study of twenty-three cases was published in 2013.[6]^[clarification needed]

See also

• Rehabilitation in spinal cord injury

References

1. Hawkes, Christopher H.; Sethi, Kapil D.; Swift, Thomas R. (2016-03-29). Instant Neurological Diagnosis: A Companion to Neurobowl. Oxford University Press. p. 286. ISBN 9780190206284. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
2. Brown, Stacy (2022). "E-063 Early spinal angiography identifies arterial injury in surfer's myelopathy" (PDF). J NeuroIntervent Surg. 14 (Suppl 1): A109. doi:10.1136/neurintsurg-2022-SNIS.174. S2CID 251032827. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
3. Harrigan, Mark R.; Deveikis, John P. (2013). Handbook of Cerebrovascular Disease and Neurointerventional Technique (2nd ed.). New York: Humana Press. p. 816. doi:10.1007/978-1-61779-946-4. ISBN 9781617799457. LCCN 2012945195.
4. Rode, Matt (2016-07-25). "Beginner Surfer Left Paralysed after Suffering Rare Surfer's Myelopathy". magicseaweed.com. Archived from the original on 2019-04-28. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
5. Chang CW, Donovan DJ, Liem LK, O'Phelan KH, Green DM, Bassin S, Asai S (2012). "Surfers' myelopathy: a case series of 19 novice surfers with nontraumatic myelopathy". Neurology. 79 (22): 2171–6. doi:10.1212/WNL.0b013e31827595cd. PMID 23152585. S2CID 207122169.
6. Nakamoto, B. K.; Siu, A. M.; Hashiba, K. A.; Sinclair, B. T.; Baker, B. J.; Gerber, M. S.; McMurtray, A. M.; Pearce, A. M.; Pearce, J. W. (2013-12-01). "Surfer's Myelopathy: A Radiologic Study of 23 Cases". American Journal of Neuroradiology. 34 (12): 2393–2398. doi:10.3174/ajnr.A3599. ISSN 0195-6108. PMC 4326257. PMID 23828111.

Further reading

• Acton, Ashton (2012-12-26). Spinal Cord Vascular Diseases—Advances in Research and Treatment: 2012 Edition: ScholarlyPaper. ScholarlyEditions. ISBN 9781481645065. Retrieved 25 September 2016.