Background:
Spinal cord herniation is an uncommon diagnosis in the field of spine surgery[1]. The etiology is unknown but few theories are attributed to spontaneous herniation like congenital defects in the dura, pressure erosion of the dura, duplication of anterior dura, and traumatic etiology[1, 2]. The usual presentation of spontaneous spinal cord herniation is in the form of progressive Brown-Sequard syndrome[3]. Neurological deficits are thought to occur as a result of tethering of herniated cord to the surrounding structures[4]. The tethering causes a longitudinal stretch and impairs the neuronal oxidative metabolism resulting in a wide spectrum of neurological deficits[4]. The neurological deficits stabilise or recover when the herniation is reduced surgically and the dural defect is closed[5]. We describe a case of a 37-year-old male with progressive back pain and sensory deficits due to spinal cord herniation and a post-operative complication associated with reduction of the hernia.