Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

What is Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy?

Cervical myelopathy is caused by compression of the spinal cord in the neck region, typically caused by degenerative changes in the cervical spine.

Aging, degeneration of the cervical discs and bony spurs can all contribute to the spinal cord compression.

What are the symptoms of Cervical Myelopathy?

Typical patient symptoms include:

• Tingling and numbness in the fingers and limbs.
• Clumsiness of the hands. Difficulties doing up buttons are a tell-tale sign.
• Unsteadiness on the feet, often leading to use of a stick.

An MRI scan is important to confirm the diagnosis.

Why consider surgery?

The degenerative process is usually painless, which often results in the condition progressing undetected. Symptoms may be passed off as part of the aging process.

Untreated myelopathy can result in severe loss of function of the arms and legs, and even loss of continence.

The best surgical outcomes are when presenting symptoms are mild to moderate. However, with advanced changes and loss of function, the chances of recovery are less certain.

Surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy is one of the most common spinal surgeries.

The surgical process

Surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy may take a few forms, based on the specific pathology revealed on scans.

The incision may be at the front of the neck, or on the back, or both. These choices are based on how much deformity there is in the cervical spine.

All procedures will be under general anaesthetic and require a few days in hospital afterwards.

The goals of surgery are to release pressure on the spinal cord, usually by removing bone spurs or disc protrusions. This is delicate work and is done with the assistance of a microscope.

Recovery

The immediate recovery from surgery for cervical myelopathy will take a few weeks. There will be some discomfort in the throat and neck area but that will pass.

Often symptoms resolve a few days after surgery, however, sometimes return of spinal cord function can take months; and some symptoms could be permanent, despite surgery. This will depend on how early the condition was diagnosed. If there has already been significant damage to the spinal cord it may be irreversible.

Degenerative cervical myelopathy is a serious condition that can significantly impact quality of life.

However, with appropriate surgical intervention, many people can enjoy relief from their symptoms and regain function in their daily lives.

If you have any questions about cervical myelopathy and surgery, please don't hesitate to contact us.