Cervical myelopathy (CM) is generally considered an indication for surgery in Western medicine. Case reports have indicated that Korean medicine (KM) treatments are effective in improving CM-associated symptoms. We investigated the effectiveness of non-surgical KM treatment of CM patients through a retrospective chart review and follow-up survey. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records and surveyed follow-up data of CM patients with neurological symptoms admitted to KM hospitals between January 2011 and January 2018. The admission and discharge assessments included the numeric rating scale (NRS) for neck and arm pain, neck disability index (NDI), and 5-level EuroQol 5-dimension (EQ-5D-5L). A follow-up survey was conducted about whether surgery was subsequently performed or recommended, symptom recurrence, discomfort in daily living, current treatment, as well as NRS, NDI, EQ-5D-5L, and patient global impression of change (PGIC) scores.
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