What are the causes of tethered cords?
The causes of tethered spinal cord are, for the most part, errors in normal development of the fetus. Many of these errors occur even before a woman knows that she is pregnant. Folate supplements for women in child bearing years can reduce the rate of some problems, such as open spina bifida, but many causes of tethered spinal cord seem unaffected by folate. In fact, with increased awareness of this condition and its symptoms, and more sensitive MRI scanning, more tethered cords are being detected than ever before. The primary causes of tethered spinal cords include the following conditions: dermal sinus tract, diastematomyelia (split spinal cord), lipoma, tumor, myelomeningocele (“spina bifida”), and tight filum terminale. Other cause can include past trauma or surgery on the spine.
