A single case report of healing through specific martial art therapy: Comparison of MRI to clinical resolution in severe cervical stenosis: A case report

Objectives: A 76-year-old patient with chronic and severe spinal cord compr ession secondary to cervical stenosis, a cervical osteophyte, and a herniat ed intervertebral cervical disk had lasting resolution of symptoms after co mpleting a specific, martial art-based, physical therapy program. We wanted to determine if there were structural changes in the cervical spine that c ould account for the prompt resolution of symptoms. Design: A 76-year-old female completed 8 weeks of a specific, martial art-b ased, physical therapy. The pretherapy and posttherapy cervical magnetic re sonance images (MRIs) were compared. A follow-up evaluation was done at 1 y ear. Results: The patient was symptom-free within 8 weeks of the start of therap y. She remained symptom-free at 1 year follow-up evaluation. There were no obvious structural differences in the pretherapy and posttherapy MRI studie s. Conclusions: Resolution of symptoms was directly related to the specific ma rtial art therapy. However, there were no changes in the pretherapy and pos ttherapy MRI studies, suggesting a significant adaptation to the spinal com pression had occurred. These data suggest a viable option to surgery in eld erly patients with chronic and severe cervical spinal stenosis.