Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: Early Recognition and Referral

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who see people with neck, shoulder, arm or hand complaints in outpatient, direct-access, hospital or community settings, and who want a clear account of how degenerative cervical myelopathy presents early and what the source article says about referral.

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants in outpatient orthopaedic, direct-access, hospital-based and community rehabilitation settings. The material is also relevant to clinicians who teach cervical spine screening or supervise students in musculoskeletal caseloads.

Intended audience

Physical Therapy

Level

Introductory

Delivery format

Online, asynchronous, self-paced course: interactive reading with audio or video, and a scored post-test.

Based on

This course is based on a single open-access clinical masterclass article:

Cervellini M, Feller D, Maselli F, Rossettini G, Cook C, Tabrah J, Chauhan RV, Taylor A, Kerry R, Young I, Dunning J, Hutting N, Mourad F. Understanding degenerative cervical myelopathy in musculoskeletal practice. Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy. Received 23 July 2024; accepted 2 February 2025. doi: 10.1080/10669817.2025.2465728. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

The article is described by its authors as a comprehensive but non-systematic review of the literature on the epidemiology, mechanisms, clinical presentation, diagnosis and management of degenerative cervical myelopathy, written to summarize and strengthen physiotherapists’ essential knowledge of differential diagnosis and management. Every claim in this course traces to that article. Where the article’s authors issue recommendations, this course reports them as the authors’ recommendations rather than as instructions from the course.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Describe how degenerative cervical myelopathy is defined in the source article and which symptoms the authors report as most frequent and earliest in the presentation.
2. Distinguish the features the authors describe as pointing toward myelopathy from those seen in conditions that look similar, including cervical radiculopathy and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome.
3. State what the article reports about diagnostic delay, the role of imaging, the staged triage actions the authors describe, and the limits of the evidence base.

1. Start Here: how this course works and what the source is
2. Audio Lesson: Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy in the Musculoskeletal Caseload (about ten minutes)
3. A Compression Syndrome That Hides in Ordinary Neck Complaints
4. How the Authors Built the Review
5. The Symptom Picture and What the Clinical Tests Add
6. Where the Evidence Runs Thin
7. Triage, Referral and Conversations With Patients
8. Key Takeaways
9. Post-Test and Course Evaluation

Quinn Millington, PT, DPT, ECS is the instructor of record: the licensed clinician who reviewed this course and signed off on it. The name and credentials print on the certificate.

Disclosures. This course was developed by The ConEd Solution, which has a financial interest in its sale. No outside funding or sponsorship was received. The instructor of record has no affiliation with the authors of the source publication or their institutions.

This course awards 0.5 contact hours (30 min). How you earn them:

1. Complete the course. Every lesson, in order.
2. Pass the post-test. Score 80% or higher. Retakes are allowed.
3. Complete the evaluation. A short form rating each learning objective and the course.
4. Download your certificate. It is issued on completion and stays available in My Account.

The episode time is its measured length. Reading, post-test and evaluation times are estimates.

This course is designed to satisfy the quality requirements state boards set for continuing education. Requirements vary by state, and confirming that a course fits your renewal is up to you. Each state’s own acceptance statement is in the credit panel on this page.

1. This course is based on a single open-access clinical masterclass article:
2. Cervellini M, Feller D, Maselli F, Rossettini G, Cook C, Tabrah J, Chauhan RV, Taylor A, Kerry R, Young I, Dunning J, Hutting N, Mourad F. Understanding degenerative cervical myelopathy in musculoskeletal practice. Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy. Received 23 July 2024; accepted 2 February 2025. doi: 10.1080/10669817.2025.2465728. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
3. The article is described by its authors as a comprehensive but non-systematic review of the literature on the epidemiology, mechanisms, clinical presentation, diagnosis and management of degenerative cervical myelopathy, written to summarize and strengthen physiotherapists' essential knowledge of differential diagnosis and management. Every claim in this course traces to that article. Where the article's authors issue recommendations, this course reports them as the authors' recommendations rather than as instructions from the course.