Beneficial Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined With Physiotherapy After Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Surgery

Purpose: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is one of the most notable causes of spinal cord impairment among elderly people worldwide. Little is written about the influence of postoperative rehabilitation on recovery of function in patients with CSM. In this study, we assessed the combined effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with physiotherapy and physiotherapy alone on motor and sensory improvement assessed after spinal cord decompression in patients with CSM. Methods: This prospective study comprised 52 patients with CSM; they were divided into two randomized groups after spinal cord decompression. The first group (group I) includes 26 patients, received a combination of rTMS and physiotherapy. The second group (group II) of 26 patients underwent only physiotherapy. The neurologic assessment measures, including American Spinal Cord Injury Association score, modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association score, Ashworth scale, and Nurick grade, were recorded before and after rehabilitation interventions for each patient. Results: According to the neurologic assessment measures, physiotherapy with/without rTMS after surgical decompression corresponded to significant improvement of motor function (P < 0. 01) without significant restoration of sensory function (P > 0. 01). Recovery rates of motor function were significantly better in group I than in group II (P < 0. 01). There was no significant difference between two groups with respect to age (P = 0.162) and sex (P = 1.00). Conclusions: Although physiotherapy with/without rTMS improves motor function recovery after CSM surgery, rTMS in combination with physiotherapy leads to a more rapid motor function recovery than physiotherapy alone.