What Happens to People with Cervical Myelopathy?
The natural history of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is the topic of this article. Natural history refers to what happens to a person with this type of problem as time goes by. Do they get better, worse, or stay the same? CSM is a degenerative condition that occurs with aging. Adults affected most often are 50 years old and older. The term myelopathy refers to any problem that affects the spinal cord. Cervical tells us the area affected is the cervical spine (neck region). Spondylotic or spondylosis describes a narrowing of the spinal canal where the spinal cord is located. So, basically what we are describing is a narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on the spinal cord and causes neck pain, arm pain, and sensory symptoms such as numbness and tingling down the arm. Sometimes there’s a shock-like feeling down the arms when the head and neck are flexed. Pressure on the spinal cord causes this sensation called Lhermitte’s sign. There is a wide range of changes associat
