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
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.
Affiliations
University of Warwick; University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust; University of Coventry; University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; University of Cambridge
Date
2025-07-23
Type
Article
Collections
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.