Diagnosing DCSM has traditionally relied on presence of clinical symptoms, including clumsy hands, paralysis of the lower extremities, gait disturbances, urinary/bowel incontinence and severe neurological dysfunction disturbances. 1) 2).
Many people with cervical spondylosis or CSM are asymptomatic. However, patients with CSM are at higher risk of spinal cord injury (SCI) following minor injury.
1)
Guan L, Chen X, Hai Y, et al. High-resolution diffusion tensor imaging in cervical spondylotic myelopathy: A preliminary follow-up study. NMR Biomed. 2017
2)
Sampath P, Bendebba M, Davis JD, et al. Outcome of patients treated for cervical myelopathy. A prospective, multicenter study with independent clinical review. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2000;25(6):670–76.