Help us raise awareness of Cervical Myelopathy, improve diagnosis and treatments, inspire new research and build an international support community. Together we can save lives.
CSM Information for Patients & Medical Professionals
Have you recently been diagnosed with Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy? Are you a health professional looking for information about cervical myelopathy? Myelopathy.org and its community is here to help you. We are dedicated to improving patient outcomes in cervical myelopathy, an under-recognised, progressive and disabling condition, through scientific and clinical research, education and collaboration with patients and the wider myelopathy community.
What is CSM?
CSM occurs when 'wear and tear' arthritic changes in the spine in the neck compress and injure the spinal cord, causing a progressive spinal cord injury.
Symptoms
In CSM, neurological symptoms are often combined with symptoms resulting from the underlying wear and tear arthritis of the neck including neck stiffness and pain.
Diagnosing
A doctor will consider three elements when formulating a diagnosis.
1.Clinical Presentation
2. Neurological Examination
3. Investigations
The Science
CSM is the most common spinal cord disease. It is a result of degenerative changes in the spine, reducing the space for the spinal cord and causing its compression.
CSM Patient Stories
Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy patients have been sharing their experiences, from symptoms to treatment and beyond.
Tim Boerger
A little about myself, I am currently 29 years old living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States of ...
Shirley Widdop
Hello there. My name is Shirley Widdop. I am 49 years old, a former nurse and Mum of three aged 20, ...
Delphine Houlton
I am not sure when I became aware that I was having problems. It could have been on a university fie ...
Iwan Sadler
My name is Iwan Sadler. I’m 45 from Wales in the UK and recently had cervical spine surgery on Nov ...
Support
Together we can achieve so much more.
Join a support group We Welcome You
If you want to talk about your experiences, listen to others, answer questions, or share information, our online community is the right place for you.
Disabilities Benefits & Advice UK What help is available?
Living with long-term conditions like Cervical Myelopathy may well have an impact on your financial situation. Click for a substantial guide on possible avenues for help.
Ask the Health Professional Frequently Asked Questions
In this section we put your Myelopathy questions to our Health Professionals. To get involved and have the opportunity to ask your question
Patient Stories Read about the experience of others
Often learning about others' experience can help you in your own journey.
Latest News
The Challenge for Myelopathy Sufferers
The greatest challenge facing those with degenerative cervical myelopathy is understanding and expressing their symptoms and to have a medical practitioner recognize and diagnose the condition early. In my experience neck pain is most often the earliest symptom patients can distinguish and express effectively to others but can often be
Myelopathy.org Chief Scientist Wins International Award
Dr Fehlings wins the 2019 Ryman Prize We are very proud to announce that Dr Michael Fehlings, head of the Scientific Advisory board for Myelopathy.org, was this morning awarded the Ryman Prize in recognition of his long career dedicated to helping older people suffering from debilitating spinal conditions. The international
Delayed diagnosis in myelopathy, common to many neurological diseases
By Max Butler Edited by Ben Davies Delayed diagnosis is a major issue for myelopathy patients (Davies et al, 2018) as delays can be distressing for sufferers, and the condition is likely to worsen without treatment. On top of this, surgical treatment becomes less effective the longer the delay (Tetreault
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Help us raise awareness of Cervical Myelopathy, improve diagnosis and treatments, inspire new research and build an international support community. Together we can save lives.
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