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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffTaking the following steps may help reduce the effects of syringomyelia on your daily living.
Avoid activities that may make symptoms worse
If you've been diagnosed with syringomyelia, avoid any activity that involves lifting, straining, or putting excessive force on your spine. These activities include, among others:
- Playing high-impact sports, such as football and rugby
- Riding roller coasters
- Skydiving
- Straining during a bowel movement
- Excessive coughing (talk to your doctor about treatment if coughing persists)
- Lifting anything that weighs more than 15 pounds
Consider physical therapy
If syringomyelia causes ongoing neurological problems that decrease your mobility and activity — such as muscle weakness, pain, fatigue or stiffness — a physical therapist may be able to create an exercise program for you that can help reduce these symptoms. Talk to your doctor about physical therapists in your area who have expertise in neurological conditions.
Manage chronic pain
Chronic pain can be a problem with syringomyelia. If you're experiencing chronic pain, talk to your doctor about treatment options. Many medical centers have doctors who specialize in pain management. Often, the best approach for treatment of chronic pain due to syringomyelia is to have a health care team that includes your neurosurgeon, neurologist, a rehabilitation specialist and a pain management physician who can work together to create a plan that will best fit your situation.
- Sung WS. Spontaneous regression of syringomyelia — review of the current aetiological theories and implications for surgery. Journal of Clinical Neurosciences. 2008;15:1185.
- NINDS syringomyelia information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/syringomyelia/syringomyelia.htm. Accessed Jan. 27, 2009.
- Hauser SL, et al. Diseases of the spinal cord. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2904462&searchStr=syringomyelia. Accessed Jan. 27, 2009.
- What is syringomyelia? American Syringomyelia Alliance Project. http://www.asap.org/syringomyelia. Accessed Jan. 27, 2009.
- Aminoff MJ. Nervous system disorders. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment, 2009. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=13162&searchStr=syringomyelia. Accessed Jan. 27, 2009.
- Aminoff MJ, et al. Disorders of somatic sensation. In: Aminoff MJ, et al. Clinical Neurology. 6th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2005. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2082386&searchStr=syringomyelia. Accessed Jan. 27, 2009.
- Cavanaugh J. Exercise concepts for individuals with syringomyelia. American Syringomyelia Alliance Project. http://www.asap.org/articles/Cavanaugh.html. Accessed Jan. 27, 2009.
