biology

Surfer's myelopathy

Surfer's myelopathy is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Surfer's myelopathy rather than just read about it. In short: Surfer's myelopathy is a rare, nontraumatic spinal cord injury caused by hyperextension of the back and resulting in paraplegia (paralysis below the waist). During hyperextension, a blood vessel leading to the spine, such as the anterior spinal artery, can become kinked, depriving the spinal cord of oxygen.

Key takeaways

Surfer's myelopathy belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Surfer's myelopathy to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Surfer's myelopathy from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Surfer's myelopathy is a rare, nontraumatic spinal cord injury caused by hyperextension of the back and resulting in paraplegia (paralysis below the waist). During hyperextension, a blood vessel leading to the spine, such as the anterior spinal artery, can become kinked, depriving the spinal cord of oxygen. Although the condition derives its name from the fact that the phenomenon is most often seen in those surfing for the first time, it can be caused by any activity in which the back is hyperextended (yoga, pilates, etc.). In some cases, the paralysis is permanent. Recommendations for prevention of myelopathy include proper warm-up, limiting session length, and sitting rather than lying on the board while waiting for waves.

History In a 2012 case series of nineteen novice surfers with nontraumatic myelopathy was published in 2012, all patients' MRI scans showed hyperintensity from the lower thoracic spinal cord to the conus medullaris. An additional study of twenty-three cases was published in 2013.

See also Rehabilitation in spinal cord injury

References

Further reading Acton, Ashton (2012-12-26). Spinal Cord Vascular Diseases—Advances in Research and Treatment: 2012 Edition: ScholarlyPaper. ScholarlyEditions. ISBN 9781481645065. Retrieved 25 September 2016.

External links Surfers Myelopathy Awareness

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Surfer's myelopathy

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Surfer's myelopathy claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Surfer's myelopathy before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Surfer's myelopathy ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Surfer's myelopathy

In research: Surfer's myelopathy appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Surfer's myelopathy in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Surfer's myelopathy is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Neurological disorders, Rare diseases, Surfing, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Surfer's myelopathy outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Surfer's myelopathy in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Surfer's myelopathy means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Surfer's myelopathy out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Surfer's myelopathy in simple terms?

Why does Surfer's myelopathy matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Surfer's myelopathy?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Surfer's myelopathy.