An award-winning approach to timely diagnosis of degenerative cervical myelopathy—and why it matters

We need to spread the word of DCM

The other critical element in regard to correctly diagnosing more DCM patients is to increase everybody’s knowledge on the subject. In fact, the RECODE-DCM project has named raising awareness of DCM—both among healthcare professionals and among the general public—as its main research priority for the future. We simply need to spread the word, and not just among orthopedic specialists and neurosurgeons. We also urgently need to educate other specialists as well as family physicians and caregivers about the condition itself as well as the best ways of correctly diagnosing it. Our aim must be to reach those medical professionals who will regularly be the first point of contact for undiagnosed DCM patients.

The most important symptoms for heart attacks and strokes are common knowledge nowadays. Many lay people are aware of them and will react appropriately when faced with a patient displaying them. My aim would be for us as a society to reach a point where the same can be said for the most common DCM symptoms. If you hear a family member complaining about numbness in their hands, or if you notice a friend walking less steadily than the last time you saw them, then, in an ideal world, DCM should be among the first things you think about as a possible cause.

Read the awarded paper:

Tetreault L, Kalsi-Ryan S, Benjamin Davies, et al. Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Practical Approach to Diagnosis. Global Spine Journal. 2022;12(8):1881-1893. doi:10.1177/21925682211072847