Benjamin Davies

Benjamin Davies

Neck Muscles and CSM/DCM

​ By Timothy BoergerReviewed by B.DaviesNeck Muscles and CSM– An Update Part 1 of 2 ​This will be the first of a 2 part mini-series on the properties of muscles in the neck and how they impacts outcomes of surgery. We previously looked at this following an early piece of research from North America.  This series will serve as an update on this research. Why was this study conducted?As outlined previously, the amount of fat found within muscles has been linked [...]

My Island

BY Alison Murphy  MY...Hell...opathy Laughing & living with Cervical Myelopathy​Yesterday, my husband dropped me off at the swimming baths.  The large float around my waist and my cycling style of swimming does raise a smile or two. Some call me a ninja turtle, some the barnacle woman.  Today my predicament was in the changing room.  With my combination lock.  I tried it, retried it, again and again to no avail.  It wasn't the wrong combination; it's [...]

Making new brain cells: how mice could help astronauts and DCM patients

By M StewartEditor: B DaviesIt’s a commonly held belief that you can’t grow new brain cells as adult; you’re born with one hundred billion neurons and that’s as many as you’re getting. However, this isn’t quite the case. While new neurons don’t form in most parts of the human central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), there are two special areas where new neurons do indeed arise after birth. These areas are found in specific parts of the brain w [...]

Myelopathy Research Struggling To Gain Attention

By Timothy BoergerReviewed by B.Davies​Reason for the studyThe number of times a paper is cited is a common metric of how meaningful that paper is to the scientific community. Generally, papers that are highly cited have a profound impact on their field. If scientists look at the trends of which papers are most cited, it can give us an idea of what topics within a scientific discipline are experiencing the most interest over time.​MethodsThe prominent journals publishing resear [...]

The Power of the Word

​By Iwan Sadler​Words can be powerful when spoken or in thought. Words are used on so many different levels from the expression of your thoughts to the decision you will make within the moment.Peace is delivered with words but also wars are started by the spoken or written word.We choose our life choices on words. The average person can speak between 125 and 150 words a minute, but the rate of "expanded inner speech! (word-for-word) is slightly faster than verbal speech. That puts i [...]

Spinal Cord Stem Cell Transplantation for Spinal Cord Injury

By A.WillisonReviewed by B.Davies​Humans require many different repair and renewal strategies. At the earliest point in life, we need these pathways to grow and develop but in later life, we use these pathways to recover from disease and injury. For this, our bodies activate a unique type of cell known as a stem cell. Stem cells are a special form of cell, as they can make any cell type in the body, and so can provide building blocks for our organs and tissues.  Over the past 20 year [...]

Broken bones more likely following a Cervical Myelopathy fall.

By T.BoergerReviewed by. BM DaviesReason for the StudyWalking impairments are a common feature of cervical myelopathy and can lead to falls.  In elderly individuals such falls, even if minor, can lead to injuries, such as broken bones.  Broken bones (‘fractures’) are more common as we get older, as aging affects bone strength, including conditions such as osteoporosis.  Such fractures generally occur in stereotyped locations such as the wrist, shoulder, hip, and low b [...]

We welcome Frank Dutton to our fundraising  team

Frank Dutton Charity Ambassador We are very happy to welcome Frank Dutton to our team,Frank was diagnosed with cervical myelopathy in  2015 and is currently leading our fundraising efforts as  a Charity Ambassador.If you have any fundraising ideas or want to raise money for our cause you can email Frank directly at the bottom of the page.​Frank's Background Story ​My whole life was driven by sport, mainly encouraged by my Granddad, and I played both footba [...]

Can a new MRI technique predict how you respond to surgery?

By Timothy Boerger Edited by Benjamin DaviesResearch Summary on MRI Methods for Predicting Functional Recovery from Surgery in Patients with Cervical Myelopathy.Rao A et al., Diffusion Tensor Imaging in a Large Longitudinal Series of Patients With Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Correlated With Long-Term Functional Outcome. Neurosurgery. Epub ahead of print Feb 23, 2018Reason for the studyCurrently, the assessment of the impact of cervical myelopathy is based largely on patient reported sy [...]

Spinal Cord Swelling: What is it?  Does it matter?

By B.Samara Swelling is a common reaction of your body to any form of injury; remember the last time you banged your finger, or perhaps twisted your ankle?  So unsurprisingly, it can happen to the spinal cord and has been reported in patients with CSM.  However, it is not present in all patients and its significance is not certain.  In addition to this, some studies have now described that the spinal cord can swell after surgery.  The reason for this is unclear and equa [...]