Spinal tumors are abnormal growths that occur either outside the spinal sac in the neck, mid-back, or lower back, or inside the spinal sac intimately associated with the spinal cord or one of the exiting nerve roots. Most often symptoms of a spinal tumor, which include steadily increasing back pain, numbness or cold sensations, muscle weakness in one or more limbs, begin when the tumor presses on the spinal cord.

Spinal tumors are seen infrequently at Tulsa NeuroSpine. Often the tumors are benign and can be treated by simply removing the tumor. If the amount of bone removed with the tumor is excessive, a spinal fusion is sometimes necessary during the same setting.

However, there are also malignant tumors that typically attack the bony anatomy rather than the spinal cord or nerves themselves. If the bone in the spine is involved with a malignant process -- often the cancer has spread to the spine from some other part of the body -- the tumor can weaken the bones which can then compress or flatten causing them to lose their vertical strength. This can cause compression on the cervical or thoracic spinal cord, resulting in significant weakness in the legs, bowel and bladder dysfunction, or in the lumbar spine, or even a sciatica type problem. Depending on the magnitude of the tumor and the instability of the bones, simple decompressions and fusions, sometimes with metal screws and rods, may be required.