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Print: How is CSM diagnosed?
Your doctor will do a physical exam to see if you have CSM. He or she will look for changes in your strength, reflexes and ability to feel. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a way of taking pictures of your spine and can help confirm you have spinal cord compression in your neck. The MRI can also show other problems such as tumors that cause symptoms similar to CSM. If your doctor is not sure that you have CSM, he or she can do other tests. Your doctor may also want you to see a neurologist.
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Source
Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: A Common Cause of Spinal Cord Dysfunction in Older Persons by WF Young (American Family Physician September 01, 2000, http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000901/1064.html)
Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff
Reviewed/Updated: 09/10
Created: 09/00
