Related disorders
Kyphosis
Scoliosis
Brain herniation
Spina Bifida
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Klippel-Feil syndrome
Syringomyelia

Cause
Tethered spinal cord can be caused by various conditions but the main cause is when tissue attachments limit the movement of the spinal cord in the spinal column which causes abnormal stretching of the cord. The tethered spinal cord syndrome is correlated with having the causes:
Spina bifida
Occulta
Mylomeningocele
Meningocele
History of spinal trauma
History of spinal surgery
Tumor(s) in the spinal column
Thickened and/or tight filum terminale
Lipoma(s) in the spinal column
Dermal Sinus Tract (congenital deformity)
Diastematomyelia (split spinal cord)Tethered spinal cord is a disorder and not a mechanism so it does not spread to other people and there are no measures that can be done to prevent it beforehand. The only preventative measure that is successful is to surgically untether the spinal cord though there might already be irreversible damage. Spina bifida
In tethered spinal cord cases spina bifida can be accompanied by tethering of the spinal cord but in rare cases with Spina bifida occulta. Tethering of the spinal cord tends to occur in the cases of Spina bifida with mylomeningocele. In most people the spine grows faster than the spinal cord during development which causes the end of the spinal cord to appear to rise relative to the bony spine next to it. By the time of birth the spinal cord is located between L1 and L2. In a baby with Spina bifida the spinal cord is still attached to the skin around it preventing it from rising properly.
Clinical evaluation may include a simple rectal examination and may also include invasive or non-invasive urological examination. "Bladder dysfunction occurs in ~40% of patients affected by tethered cord syndrome. ... [I]t may be the earliest sign of the syndrome." Treatment
Because neurological deficits are generally irreversible, early surgery is recommended when symptoms begin to worsen. In children, early surgery is recommended to prevent further neurological deterioration, including but not limited to chronic urinary incontinence. In adults, surgery to detether (free) the spinal cord can reduce the size and further development of cysts in the cord and may restore some function or alleviate other symptoms. Although detethering is the common surgical approach to TCS, another surgical option for adults is a spine-shortening vertebral osteotomy. A vertebral osteotomy aims to indirectly relieve the excess tension on the spinal cord by removing a portion of the spine, shortening it. This procedure offers a unique benefit in that the spinal cord remains fixated to the spine, preventing retethering and spinal cord injury as possible surgical complications. However, its complexity and limited “track record” presently keeps vertebral osteotomies reserved as an option for patients who have failed in preventing retethering after detethering procedure(s).Other treatment is symptomatic and supportive. Medications such as NSAIDs, opiates, synthetic opiates, COX-2 inhibitors, and off-label applications of tricyclic antidepressants combined with anti-seizure compounds have yet to prove they are of value in treatment of this afflictions pain manifestations. There is anecdotal evidence that TENS units may benefit some patients.