Patients answered each question by themselves. This study included patients with cervical myelopathy secondary to cervical disc herniation, spondylosis, ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, calcification of the ligament flavum, spinal cord tumor, and developmental spinal canal stenosis. Patients with the following disorders were excluded: cervical spondylotic amyotrophy, cervical radiculopathy, disorders of the upper cervical spine such as atlantoaxial subluxation, spinal tumor, vascular lesions of the cervical spinal cord, cervical hemangioma, syringomyelia, multiple sclerosis, motor neuron disease, myelitis, and spinal cord injury. Patients with disturbances of the central nervous system such as cerebral infarction, combined cervical and thoracic spine lesions, orthopedic disorders other than cervical myelopathy, and cognitive disorders, and patients who could not complete the questionnaire because of defects of the arm, fingers, or foot, were also excluded. Patients whose condition resulted from occupational accidents, traffic accidents, or injuries were excluded.
The investigation period was 4 weeks from the start of the present study at each institution. All patients were asked to participate in the survey and were told that the questionnaire would be used to develop a new JOA score. Only patients who agreed to join the study answered the questionnaire.