Rehabilitation for degenerative cervical myelopathy: systematic review and scoping review of UK patient information
Smith, Toby O Newton, Christopher Farrell, Ayshea Boby, Jithy Dove, Jonathan Dove, Fiona Turner, Kelly Davies, Benjamin M
Smith, Toby O
Newton, Christopher
Farrell, Ayshea
Boby, Jithy
Dove, Jonathan
Dove, Fiona
Turner, Kelly
Davies, Benjamin M
Affiliation
University of Warwick; University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust; University of Coventry; University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; University of Cambridge
Other Contributors
Publication date
2025-07-23
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Abstract
Study design: Systematic Literature Review & Patient-Information Scoping Review OBJECTIVES: To assess the evidence on prehabilitation and post-operative rehabilitation interventions for people undergoing surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) and to determine what publicly accessible information is provided to patients from the NHS surrounding DCM surgery.
Methods: A systematic literature review was searched from inception to 19 May 2025. Studies reporting pain, function, disability or quality of life for prehabilitation or post-operative rehabilitation interventions for people undergoing DCM surgery were eligible. Downs and Black appraisal tool was used to assess study quality. Data were analysed in a narrative analysis. Secondary, a review of UK NHS Patient Information Documents (PID) was searched using a Google platform assessment. PID reporting prehabilitation or post-operative information for people awaiting DCM surgery were included. The type of information being provided were extracted and descriptive statistics were used to report frequency of information provision.
Results: From 5218 screened studies, six studies (n = 685) met the eligibility criteria. The evidence was low to moderate in quality. Rehabilitation offered demonstrated improved clinical outcomes but there was limited evidence compared to non-rehabilitation or superiority between different rehabilitation strategies. The PID review identified 38 documents. This indicates education and guidance is commonly offered on returning to work (68%), driving (76%) and normal activities of daily living (63%).
Conclusion: There remains uncertainty on what should be and is offered to patients with DCM in respect to prehabilitation or post-operative rehabilitation. Robust clinical trial evidence on rehabilitation approaches for this population is needed.
Citation
Smith TO, Newton C, Farrell A, Boby J, Dove J, Dove F, Turner K, Davies BM. Rehabilitation for degenerative cervical myelopathy: systematic review and scoping review of UK patient information. Spinal Cord. 2025 Sep;63(9):482-491. doi: 10.1038/s41393-025-01110-z. Epub 2025 Jul 23.
Type
Article