Proprioceptive Deficits in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

DCM is a chronic insidious disease, one of the most disabling orthopaedic conditions, which involves compression of the spinal cord by the surrounding structures in cervical spinal region. It characterizes with progressive neurological deficits in body coordination, hand clumsiness and gait disturbance as the preliminary symptom which may cause by proprioceptive dysfunction .

Physical performance and function hinder patients' hand clumsiness, gait disturbance and body imbalance. The incoordination between body, upper limbs and lower limbs will be resulted from proprioceptive deficits caused by spinal cord compression. By adopting the Proprioceptive Functional Analysis System (PFAS), proprioceptive deficits over the core body joints and peripheral joints could be tested during Activity of Daily Living (ADL) with reference to normal subjects' performance. All subjects will be tested by the PFAS and Physical Performance Tests.

The idea of regional proprioceptive deficit will be incorporated in the assessment protocol for DCM to facilitates a breakthrough from the traditional DCM functional evaluation.

In developing a non-invasive assessment protocol to assess proprioceptive deficit, we aim to detect subtle proprioceptive deficit from the tests, especially at the very early stage of disease. We target to demonstrate the validity of Physical Performance Tests are evenly high as that of the advanced technology, PFAS.

Consequently, by adopting the valid Physical Performance Tests in health screening scheme for population older than 45 within the community can serve as an early diagnostic parameter of DCM and avoid delayed treatment leading to devastating consequences and disabilities.

Inclusion criteria

• Chinese
• Aged 50 or above
• With radiological evidence of degenerative cervical myelopathy, both symptomatic and asymptomatic
• Nurick grade less than 3

Exclusion criteria

• Non-Chinese ethnicity
• Aged under 50
• without any radiological proof of cervical myelopathy
• Active problems of tuberculosis spine, lumbar spinal diseases, and other problems causing pain or deformities over the limbs that may affect their balance and movement
• Presents with extra-pyramidal or other disorders involving the cerebellum or frontal lobe of the cerebrum leading to poor balance and gait disturbance
• Previous spinal operation with residual disturbance in balance or gait
• Non-communicable patients with insufficient cognitive ability to express their symptoms clearly
• Non-walker
• Blind or deaf