Successful treatment of a rare diagnosis — tethered spinal cord: Debbie’s story
Early in 2025, Debbie Kearney began experiencing intense back pain, numbness, and weakness in her right leg. As a certified registered nurse anesthetist at LewisGale Hospital Alleghany, she appreciated the significance of her symptoms and made an appointment with orthopedic surgeon, Joe Pack, DO. Debbie had suffered from back pain in the past, and a previous magnetic resonance imaging test (MRI) revealed a herniated disc. She assumed the herniated disc prompted the current pain and numbness. However, as Debbie underwent another MRI, it was discovered she had a tethered spinal cord, a rare condition in adults in which the spinal cord becomes entangled in surrounding tissue and is unable to move freely within the spinal canal. Due to the fact her diagnosis involved the delicate spinal cord and surrounding nerves, Dr. Pack referred Debbie to Joshua Prickett, DO, a board-certified and fellowship-trained neurosurgeon with LewisGale Physicians Neurosurgery.
Debbie recalls, “When I met Dr. Prickett the first time, I was so impressed with all the research he had done on me before I even arrived for my appointment. He had reviewed all of my MRIs and knew my medical history. He made me feel so comfortable and I really admired his professionalism.” Dr. Prickett performed a special MRI, this time with Debbie lying on her stomach. The MRI revealed that her spinal cord did not move when she changed positions and was, in fact, tethered to a lipoma, a benign fatty tumor, located at the filum terminale — a thin string that normally extends from the tip of the spinal cord to the end of the spinal canal. The tethering prevented Debbie’s spinal cord from moving freely and instead caused it to stretch, prompting the pain, numbness, and weakness in her leg.
According to the National Institutes of Health, tethered spinal cord syndrome is most often identified in children, affecting less than one percent of every 1,000 births. The condition is rare in adults but is identified somewhat more frequently with modern, state-of-the-art diagnostic tools. In fact, the condition is so rarely seen in adults that a neurosurgeon may only operate on one or two adult patients over the course of their entire career. “It was a bit nerve-wracking to think that I had such an uncommon condition, but Dr. Prickett instilled such confidence in me that I felt completely comfortable with him performing my surgery,” remembers Debbie.
Just few weeks following her consultation with Dr. Prickett, Debbie was brought in for elective surgery at LewisGale Medical Center in Salem. She was placed under general anesthesia and Dr. Prickett and his neurosurgical staff continuously monitored Debbie’s condition to ensure nerve damage was avoided during the operation. The surgery lasted approximately three hours, during which the spinal fluid sac was exposed and then opened, allowing for the division of the tether and removal of the lipoma - freeing Debbie’s spinal cord. She was then transferred to the hospital’s neurosurgical intensive care unit, where she was initially expected to stay for three to five days.
As it turned out, Debbie’s post-operative pain was so minimal, and significantly less than her original pain, she was discharged and permitted to go home the day after surgery. Since the procedure, she has had two follow up appointments with Dr. Prickett, is back to work, and has resumed all of her normal activities. In her words, “I am so happy with my experience with Dr. Prickett and thankful for the outcome of my surgery. He is a credit to our community and deserves to be recognized as a phenomenal surgeon. He and his staff could not have treated me any better.”
To schedule a consultation with Joshua Prickett, DO or the team at LewisGale Physicians Neurosurgery, call (540) 444-1240.