Recognising the Silent Squeeze: Why Physiotherapists Should Pay Attention to Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy [Editorial] - Chauhan, Rohil V; Segar, Anand H; Rice, David; White, Steven G (Physiotherapy New Zealand, 2026)
[From Introduction] Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is the most prevalent cause of spinal cord impairment in adults, yet remains under-recognised in primary care (Davies et al., 2018). DCM affects approximately 2.3% of adults, rising to a striking 5% in those over the age of 40 years of age (i.e., one in 20) (Davies et al., 2018). Despite this, diagnosis is frequently delayed (average of 2.5 years), by which time individuals with DCM face irreversible neurological impairment and very low quality of life (Davies et al., 2018)
Keywords: 1103 Clinical Sciences; 4201 Allied health and rehabilitation science; Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy; Neurosurgery; Orthopaedics; Physiotherapy; Spinal Cord Compression