Natural History and Prognosis of Cervical Spondylosis

It is now fi**ffftn years since cervical spondylosis was clearly defined (Brain, Knight, and Bull, 1948), but this is not long in terms of natural history, and it is not surprising that little has been written on this aspect of the disease. Brain (1962) considered that the natural tendency of cervical spondylosis was to become arrested, but most of those affected were left with a variable degree of disability. Wilkinson (1962) wrote that the prognosis of cervical spondylosis was good, provided that the condition was recognized early, appro priate treatment was given, and the patient was told how to cope with his disability.