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. 2022 Apr;66(1):74-84.

Nonoperative management of degenerative cervical radiculopathy: protocol of a systematic review

Joshua Plener  1   2 , Carlo Ammendolia  2   3   4 , Sheilah Hogg-Johnson  5   6   7   8
Affiliations

Nonoperative management of degenerative cervical radiculopathy: protocol of a systematic review

Joshua Plener et al. J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2022 Apr.

Abstract
in English, French

Background: Degenerative cervical radiculopathy (DCR) is a common condition which, due to the aging global population, is expected to worsen over time. For the majority of patients with DCR, surgical intervention is not required as nonoperative management is sufficient for symptom improvement. However, there are significant gaps within the literature as the majority of past systematic reviews assessing conservative interventions are outdated, or omit relevant studies due to strict inclusion/exclusion criteria. Therefore, an updated understanding of the effectiveness of noninvasive nonoperative management for DCR is required.

Methods: We will search MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL from inception, as well as hand-search reference lists of included studies and previous systematic reviews, to identify peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials on this topic.

Discussion: The results of this review will provide an understanding of the effectiveness of various nonoperative interventions. The quality of evidence will also be assessed using the GRADE approach.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42021249699.

Contexte: la radiculopathie cervicale dégénérative (DCR) est une affection courante qui, en raison du vieillissement de la population mondiale, devrait s’aggraver avec le temps. Pour la majorité des patients atteints de DCR, une intervention chirurgicale n’est pas nécessaire, car la prise en charge non opératoire est suffisante pour l’amélioration des symptômes. Cependant, il existe des lacunes importantes dans les publications scientifiques, car la majorité des examens systématiques antérieurs évaluant les interventions conservatrices sont obsolètes ou omettent des études pertinentes en raison de critères d’inclusion et exclusion stricts. Par conséquent, une compréhension actualisée de l’efficacité de la prise en charge non invasive et non opératoire de la DCR est nécessaire.

Méthodologie: nous effectuerons des recherches dans MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Embase, PsycINFO et CINAHL depuis le début, et entreprendrons des recherches manuelles dans les listes de références des études incluses et des examens systématiques précédents, afin de déterminer les essais contrôlés randomisés et évalués par des pairs sur ce sujet.

Discussion: les résultats de cet examen permettront de comprendre l’efficacité de diverses interventions non opératoires. La qualité des preuves sera également évaluée à l’aide de l’approche GRADE.

Enregistrement d’examen systématique: PROSPERO CRD42021249699.

Keywords: cervical radiculopathy; cervical stenosis; nonoperative management; spine osteoarthritis; systematic review protocol.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no disclaimers, competing interests, or sources of support or funding to report in the preparation of this manuscript.

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