Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
close window
Housecall Archives
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffWhether your symptoms of transverse myelitis have subsided or you're experiencing chronic complications, it's likely that you'll choose to make several changes to improve your quality of life. Here are a few suggestions:
- Prevent bowel problems. If you have bowel problems caused by transverse myelitis, make sure you pack enough fiber in your diet by eating fiber-rich foods or taking a supplement. Drinking plenty of fluids, especially water, will help you feel more comfortable.
- Maintain strong bones. People with transverse myelitis are at an increased risk of developing osteoporosis because of limited activity, so help build your bones by taking calcium and vitamin D supplements and engaging in weight-bearing exercise, if possible.
- Stretch and strengthen. Stiff or tight muscles, also referred to as spasticity, are a common complication of transverse myelitis and may limit your ability to get around easily. Try to increase your flexibility by sticking to a stretching routine suggested by your physical therapist. A strengthening program targeting your weaker muscles will also help you maintain good muscle balance.
References
- Transverse myelitis fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/transversemyelitis/detail_transversemyelitis.htm. Accessed Nov. 1, 2008.
- Eisen A. Disorders affecting the spinal cord. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 1, 2008.
- Kerr D. Transverse myelitis. In: Johnson RT, et al. Current Therapy in Neurologic Disease. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: C.V. Mosby; 2001. http://www.scribd.com/doc/2581918/KerrCurrent-therapy-chapter-with-figures. Accessed Nov. 1, 2008.
- Petti CA. Molecular diagnosis of central nervous system infections. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 1, 2008.
- Acute transverse myelitis. The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec16/ch224/ch224b.html. Accessed Nov. 1, 2008.
- Weinshenker BG, et al. Neuromyelitis optica IgG predicts relapse following longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis. Annals of Neurology: 2006;59:566.
- Jacob A, et al. An approach to the diagnosis of acute transverse myelitis. Seminars in Neurology. 2008; 28(1):105.
- Weinshenker BG [expert opinion]. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Oct 6, 2008.
