That mysterious back or neck pain you’ve been experiencing might just be Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM) – a progressive condition that is the most common cause of spinal cord injury. Left untreated, DCM can lead to permanent nerve damage, resulting in paralysis and a drastic increase in the chance of a more serious spinal cord injury, later in life.

To explore, Heather meets with Dr. Michael G. Fehlings, a neurosurgeon and senior scientist with Krembil Brain Institute at UHN. He’s on a mission to spread awareness about DCM and improve the quality of life for those living with spinal cord injuries. Dr. Fehlings is a pioneer in the treatment of spinal conditions, and one of the first clinician-researchers to identify the benefits of early spinal decompression surgery, for DCM and other spine-related conditions.

We also hear from Analynne Salas, a patient of Dr. Fehlings, who underwent spinal decompression surgery for DCM, after a fall. After months of in-patient rehab, Analynne is greatly improved and back at home with her family. Later, we also meet Rosalie Magtoto, an Advanced Practice Nurse who has been with the Spine team at Krembil Brain Institute for the past 18 years.

Featuring:
Dr. Michael Fehlings, a neurosurgeon and a senior scientist with Krembil Brain Institute at UHN.
Special thanks to Analynne Salas and Rosalie Magtoto for sharing their stories.

To hear more from Analynne, listen to her full story here: https://www.uhn.ca/Krembil/Complex-Brain-Podcast

Additional Resources:
UHN Spinal Cord Clinic
Krembil Brain Institute Spine Program
The Fehlings Laboratory for Neural Repair and Regeneration
Spinal Cord Injury Canada
Spinal Cord Injury Ontario
UHN Research – Dr. Michael G. Fehlings
UHN News – A Radical Method for Treating Spinal Cord Injuries

The Your Complex Brain production team is Heather Sherman, Jessica Schmidt, Dr. Amy Ma, Kim Perry, Alley Wilson, Sara Yuan, Meagan Anderi, Liz Chapman, and Lorna Gilfedder.

The Krembil Brain Institute, part of University Health Network, in Toronto, is home to one of the world's largest and most comprehensive teams of physicians and scientists uniquely working hand-in-hand to prevent and confront problems of the brain and spine, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, stroke, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, brain cancer or concussion, in their lifetime. Through state-of-the-art patient care and advanced research, we are working relentlessly toward finding new treatments and cures.

Do you want to know more about the Krembil Brain Institute at UHN? Visit us at: uhn.ca/krembil

To get in touch, email us at [email protected] or message us on social media:
Instagram - @krembilresearch
Twitter - @KBI_UHN
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/KrembilBrainInstitute

Thanks for listening!