PODCASTS

Podcasts are a great way to reach our community of people living with DCM. Many individuals with lived experience of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM) have told us that they find reading visual material tiring or uncomfortable. Listening to audible content gives the eyes and hands a break.
Our community podcast, Myelopathy Matters, was conceived by Dr Benjamin Davies in 2019. Ben was joined on the first podcast series by Dr Michelle Starkey, Scientific Director of Myelopathy.org until 2021.
In 2022, Ben was joined on the podcast by co-founder of Myelopathy.org, Iwan Sadler. Iwan brought his deep insight of the condition to the community podcast, speaking as an individual with lived experience of DCM and the founder of the online global support group.
Now in its fourth series, the hosts aim to tackle the thorniest questions in DCM and provide much-needed solutions to the problems encountered by people living and working with DCM worldwide.
A critical part of knowledge discovery is having an active and invested global research community, who collaborate and build on each other’s work. The opportunity to hear from leading researchers in their own words really elevates this message and will, I hope, help to build that community.
– Dr Benjamin Davies

Myelopathy Matters

The charity’s official podcast aims to bring together professionals, researchers, people with myelopathy and their supporters to talk all things DCM. 
Series 1 Episode 1 – AO Spine RECODE-DCM
Series 1 Episode 2 – Moving On
Series 1 Episode 3 – Naming Myelopathy
Series 1 Episode 4 – Meet the Trustees
Series 2 Episode 1 – Poverty & Myelopathy
Series 2 Episode 2 – Pain & the Feeling Brain (Part 1)
Series 2 Episode 3 – Pain & The Feeling Brain (Part 2)
Series 2 Episode 4 – Age & Myelopathy
Series 2 Episode 5 – Education & Myelopathy – Knowledge is Power?
Series 2 Episode 6 – Nutrition & Myelopathy – A Simple and Safe Opportunity?
Series 2 Episode 7 – Front or Back Surgery for Myelopathy with Dr Zoher Ghogawala
Series 2 Episode 8 – The Pain-Free Mindset with Dr Deepak Ravindran
Series 2 Episode 9 – CSF Pressure Monitoring with Carl Zipser
Series 3 Episode 1 – Coffee Anyone?
Series 3 Episode 2 – To Fuse or Not To Fuse?
Series 3 Episode 3 – Forming Diagnostic Criteria
Series 3 Episode 4 – Pain in DCM with Chad Cook
Series 3 Episode 5 – Mobile Monitoring of Myelopathy with MoveMed
Series 3 Episode 6 – Can a Drug Repair the Spinal Cord? First Regenerative Medicine Trial Opens for Myelopathy
Series 3 Episode 7 – What Can the Neck Muscles Tell Us about Myelopathy?
Series 3 Episode 8 – Christmas Miracle
Series 4 Episode 1 – Tackling the Onset of Myelopathy, with Aria Nouri and RECODE-DCM
Why can Myelopathy Cause Longterm Pain?
Series 4 Episode 2 – Forming Diagnostic Criteria for Myelopathy, with Lindsay Tetreault and RECODE-DCM

AO Spine Research Top 10

In 2020, AO Spine took over the Myelopathy Matters podcast stream to share the messages of RECODE-DCM. The 10-part podcast series, “AO Spine Research Top 10”, reached more than 10,000 listens in the first two months of its release! It was an extraordinary response; very few scientific articles achieve this. Each episode examines one of the research priorities, from the point of view of the individuals living with DCM, the healthcare professionals treating them, and the researchers striving for progress in the condition.
Introducing the RECODE-DCM podcast
No. 1 – Raising Awareness
No. 2 – Natural History
No. 3 – Diagnostic Criteria
No. 4 – Assessment & Monitoring
No. 5 – Biological Basis
No. 6 – Peri-Operative Rehab
No. 7 – Novel Therapies
No. 8 – Socio-Economic Impact
No. 9 – Imaging & Neurophysiology
No. 10 – Individualising Surgery
Festive Special – Behind the Scenes at AO Spine RECODE-DCM

Research Top Tips

In 2021, AO Spine supported another podcast series, “Research Top Tips”, to inspire and guide new entrants to the field of DCM research. Each episode takes a dive into a fundamental concept of scientific research, with leading spine researchers talking us through their recipes for success in their own words. Topics are general and applicable across all fields of medical research, ranging from clinical trial design, patient and public involvement, to strategies for securing that all-important funding. Listen in and hear stories from flexible career pathways to multi-stakeholder engagement, and take away tips to secure funding and balance the disciplines of academic and clinical practice.
Tips 1 – Brian Kwon – Winning Research Funding
Tips 2 – Michael Fehlings – Clinical Trials: Concept, Design and Execution
Tips 3 – Jamie Wilson – Transitions in Career Pathways
Tips 4 – Shekar Kurpad – Combining Academic and Clinical Practice
Tips 5 – Toto Gronlund and Mark Kotter – Public and Patient Involvement